[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 143 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1716-E1717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRANSPARENCY IN REGULATORY ANALYSIS OF IMPACTS ON THE NATION ACT OF 
                                  2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2401) to 
     require analyses of the cumulative and incremental impacts of 
     certain rules and actions of the Environmental Protection 
     Agency, and for other purposes:

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2401. Instead 
of legislation that would train Americans to get back to full 
employment, the majority is bringing to the floor a bill that harms the 
health of our nation.
  This bill would endanger the health of millions of our nation's 
children, seniors, and sick by blocking rules to reduce cross-state air 
pollution and to reduce the emissions of mercury, lead, dioxin, and 
other toxic chemicals from power plants. H.R. 2401 would also delay 
future safeguards by requiring studies that only measure pollution 
cleanup costs while disregarding health and other benefits.
  Along with many of my colleagues, I recently sent letters to the 
Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, in support of the Power Plant Air 
Toxics Rule and the Cross-State Air Pollution Control Rule because of 
the positive impact these rules will have on the public health of our 
nation. Toxic air pollution from power plants remains a major 
unregulated source of mercury and lead in the air. Already, more than 
half of all coal-fired power plants use widely available pollution 
control technologies to meet these important standards. Once the rule 
is final, the remaining 44 percent will take similar steps to decrease 
dangerous pollutants, saving thousands of lives and avoiding tens of 
thousands of illnesses. It is clear that the benefits of the mercury 
and air toxics standards will far outweigh its costs--it is estimated 
that the pollution reductions required by the rule will yield health 
benefits of $59 billion to $140 billion per year (from lower health 
care costs and higher worker productivity), which is 5 to 13 times its 
costs.
  Further, by delaying the Cross-State Air Pollution Control Rule this 
bill would allow highly polluting facilities located upwind to continue 
to pollute major metropolitan areas with impunity. Such sources of 
pollution have made it

[[Page E1717]]

unattainable for major metropolitan areas like New York City to be in 
compliance with federal standards for smog pollution even though most 
pollution is generated by large upwind sources. The Cross State Rule 
would make polluters control pollution at the source rather than 
continuing to shift the cost burden onto local governments and local 
taxpayers.
  This bill requires an unnecessary, duplicative, and biased study of 
specified air quality and hazardous waste regulations without assessing 
the benefits of environmental and public health standards. Impeding 
these EPA rules jeopardizes the health and well-being of the American 
people. I encourage my colleagues to vote against this legislative 
train wreck.

                          ____________________