House passes extremely anti-environmental TRAIN Act (upddated)

[ProSense]

Daily Kos: House passes extremely anti-environmental TRAIN Act

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Four Republicans also voted "nay"—the full roll call is here. The Environmental Defense Fund explains just how awful this bill is:

Among its other potential dangers, this bill would indefinitely delay two critical clean air standards -- the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.

We need these two standards to reduce the pollution spewed from power plants, including mercury, soot, cancer-causing dioxins and acid gases.

Every year these important safeguards are delayed, Americans will suffer up to 25,300 premature deaths due to toxic air pollution–and once again, they could be delayed indefinitely. Delaying the standards will also cause tens of thousands more heart attacks, asthma attacks and hospital stays.

Think Progress:

Leading Environmental Groups Call on Senate to Reject It, Commend Veto Threat from White House

Today the House of Representatives passed a sweeping anti-environment bill that blocks two landmark public health safeguards against air pollution. The TRAIN Act, H.R. 2401, blocks standards that would curb mercury emissions from power plants and reduce pollution that travels across state lines and endangers communities. Leading environmental and public health groups (listed below) issued the following statement after the House vote:

“We are heartened by the President’s strong stand against the TRAIN Act and against pollution with his promise to veto this dangerous legislation. His leadership will keep Americans from being forced to breathe smog and other dangerous air pollutants. We call on the U.S. Senate to stand strong and reject the TRAIN Act and its deadly impacts on public health. Hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks and heart attacks and tens of thousands of premature deaths can be prevented with common sense clean air safeguards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The House today showed they have bought the false argument that we need to choose between protecting lives and creating jobs. Now we need the Senate and the President to protect our right to breathe.”

Environment America
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club
League of Conservation Voters
US Climate Action Network
League of Women Voters
Environmental Defense Fund
Earthjustice

Updated to add this from the EPI: The combined effect of the Obama EPA rules

The Combined Effect of the Obama EPA Rules, the only comprehensive tally of the combined costs and benefits of the new major Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules, debunks arguments that their cumulative impact would harm the struggling economy. The paper, by Economic Policy Institute (EPI) Director of Regulatory Policy Research Isaac Shapiro, released today by EPI, shows the regulations formulated by the Obama Administration will be of tremendous benefit to public health, and the combined compliance cost of the rules – both finalized and proposed – amounts to only about 0.1 percent of the economy, and thus are not a significant factor in the overall economy’s direction.

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[hedgehog]

1. None of the fish in New York State are safe to eat because

of mercury contamination. None.

[ProSense]

2. Relevant information:

EPA Proposes First National Standard for Mercury Pollution from Power Plants / Mercury and air toxics standards represent one of strongest health protections from air pollution since passage of Clean Air Act

EPA mercury rules hailed as help for NY lakes

EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards: Cleaner Air AND Reliable Electricity

[karynnj]

3. My Republican representative, Frelinghuysen, voted it for it - in spite of previously having been

good on the environment. He was one of the Republicans who joined Democrats to prevent drilling in ANWR.

I bet that they threatened his committee chairmanship.

[ProSense]

4. In April,

the Senate split 50-50 on a bill challenging the EPA's authority.

Landrieu, Manchin, Nelson and Pryor voted with Republicans.

[karynnj]

7. That was sickening

as was Massachusetts Senator Brown voting in sync with the Republicans, though his state was clearly in favor of it.

What is startling in the current proposals is that they go beyond greenhouse gases and even attack regulation of things like mercury! (Wasn't it over a century ago that mercury was identified as extremely toxic - and related to why hatters often were indeed mad? )

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. K & R

[OwnedByFerrets]

6. WTG congresscritters. You make me fucking sick...no, literally

Thanks for Nothing fuckheads