[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 114 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ENERGY CONSUMERS RELIEF ACT OF 2013

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                               speech of

                           HON. KEITH ELLISON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 31, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1582) to 
     protect consumers by prohibiting the Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating as final 
     certain energy-related rules that are estimated to cost more 
     than $1 billion and will cause significant adverse effects to 
     the economy, with Ms. Ros-Lehtinen in the chair.

  Mr. ELLISON. Madam Chair, this bill leads me to ask a question.
  Who are we here to protect? The American people, or big business?
  If we don't stand up to protect public health, who will? Are we going 
to trust big oil, gas, and coal companies to look out for the public's 
health?
  This bill is just another give-away to big polluters.
  As we just saw with the coal ash bill, this bill would further harm 
human health by tearing down the EPA. The EPA--not big business--is 
trying to protect Americans' health.
  Take the Clean Air Act, for example. In its first 20 years, it 
prevented 205,000 premature deaths and 18 million child respiratory 
illnesses.
  The result? Billions of dollars in economic savings from prevented 
diseases and greater worker productivity.
  This bill is yet another attempt to tear down the EPA. It's immoral. 
I urge my colleague to oppose this bill.

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