One Giant Step Back for Mankind

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http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18352

 

One Giant Step Back for Mankind

 

By David Sirota, Christy Harvey and Judd Legum, The Progress Report

April 6, 2004

 

A Giant Step Back

 

The NYT Magazine's cover story this week details how the Bush Administration,

through subtle regulatory changes, scuttled what would have been " one of the

greatest advances in clean air in the nation's history. " In 1977, Congress

passed an amendment to the Clean Air Act requiring older power plants to use the

best available pollution-control technology when they upgraded their plants. The

industry has flouted the requirement for years but in the late 1990s " E.P.A.

investigators had caught them breaking the law " and filed suit against a number

of large power companies. The violations have profound implications on public

health - " researchers estimate that fine-particulate pollution from power plants

shortens the lives of more than 30,000 Americans every year. " As the Bush

Administration took office, " the power companies were on the verge of signing

agreements to clean up their plants. " But the White House immediately went to

work drafting new rules and the power companies " lost their

incentives to cut deals. " Eventually, the Administration settled on rules

allowing companies to spend up to 20% of a plant's replacement cost without

triggering the requirement to install pollution control equipment. The

regulations set the threshold " so high that pollution-control requirements would

almost never come into effect. " After the new threshold was set, " investigation

into 70 companies suspected of violations of the clean air act were abandoned "

and the agency decided to " newly 'evaluate' and perhaps choose not to pursue,

existing...investigations. "

 

 

 

THE PRICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ROLLBACKS:

 

Executives of companies that ran afoul of the Clean Air Act before the Bush

Administration's revisions were major contributors to the President. FirstEnergy

President Anthony Alexander, Reliant Resources CEO Steve Letbetter and Reliant's

Chairman Don Jordan, whose companies were sued by the EPA, were Pioneers on

Bush's 2000 campaign - meaning they raised at least $100,000. Six other Pioneers

were lawyers or lobbyists for companies sued by the EPA for failing to install

pollution-control technology in their power plants. Author Lisa Heinzerling

writes the Administration is creating an environment of deception when it comes

to the environment.

 

 

 

CONSERVATIVE STRATEGY - IGNORE THE PROBLEM:

 

In February 2004, conservative leaders in Congress sent an email to all House

Republicans advising them on what to say about the environment in the months

ahead. The email directs members to say " global warming has not been proved, air

quality is 'getting better,' the world's forests are 'spreading, not deadening,'

oil reserves are 'increasing, not decreasing' and the 'world's water is cleaner

and reaching more people.' " The claims are " supported " by circumspect research

bankrolled by industry. The email's Pollyannaish attitude towards the nation's

environmental problems has drawn bi-partisan criticism. Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE)

criticized the email for ignoring " the fact that pollution continues to be a

health threat, " and said " if I tried to follow these talking points at a town

hall meeting with my constituents, I'd be booed. " Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT) said

the memo was " 'outlandish' and an attempt to deceive voters. "

 

 

 

BI-PARTISAN CONSENSUS - ADMINISTRATION'S MERCURY PROPOSAL INADEQUATE:

 

The Bush Administration's backtracking on regulations to reduce dangerous

mercury emissions from power plants is meeting widespread disapproval. 45 U.S.

Senators - including seven Republicans - wrote a letter expressing their concern

to EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt. The group, which included such stalwart

conservatives as Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), wrote

that Leavitt's mercury proposals " fall far short of what the law requires, and

they fail to protect the health of our children and the environment. " The

Senators were joined on the letter by attorneys general from 10 states.

 

 

 

 

 

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