Act Now to Defend Clean Air For Life

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" Clear Skies " Smokescreen: Act Now to Defend Clean Air For Life

Dear Heather,

While more than 160 million Americans live in or near areas with unhealthy

air, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has introduced an unprecedented rollback to our

nation's clean air laws. The misnamed " Clear Skies " bill is a smokescreen that

covers up a better, more immediate way to healthier air -- the Clean Air

Interstate Rule (CAIR). CAIR would reduce pollution from power plants, and only

requires final approval from the EPA to go into effect.

The utility industry is backing the harmful " Clear Skies " legislation, which

would make lasting, damaging changes to the Clean Air Act. Take action for

cleaner air, faster - send a message to President Bush and your U.S. senators

calling on them to support immediate EPA action to finalize a strong CAIR rule.

 

 

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):

President George W. Bush

Your Senators

 

Below is the sample letter:

CAIR for Cleaner Air, Not " Clear Skies "

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I support clean air for all Americans and call on America's political leaders

to oppose the misnamed " Clear Skies " plan, which would dramatically weaken

our nation's clean air laws. You can act to reduce power plant pollution by

instead supporting the strongest possible Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). A

strong CAIR would help protect the 160 million Americans that live in or near

areas with unhealthy air. Health problems linked to air pollution, from heart

disease and early death to asthma and cancer, are a serious problem.

 

The Clear Skies bill, sponsored by Senator James Inhofe (OK), would severely

weaken clean air laws just when these laws should be strengthened, and ignores

carbon dioxide, the chief pollutant causing global warming. This bill should

be opposed. Instead, I believe that government leaders should focus on

finalizing a strong, protective CAIR rule. With a stroke of a pen, the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency could adopt strong, cost-effective pollution

control

standards for power plant smokestacks. If well-designed, this rule could prevent

some 16,000 premature deaths and about 1 million asthma attacks in children

annually without doing lasting damage to the nation's vital clean air laws.

 

Thank you.

Sincerely,

 

Heather Burns

 

 

Take Action!

Urge your senators to support cleaner air, faster, not the misnamed " Clear

Skies " bill.

Send a Message

 

What's At Stake:

Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) is pushing the misnamed " Clear Skies " bill, which

will do serious, lasting damage to our nation's clean air laws. " Clear Skies "

would weaken Clean Air Act requirements by:

 

- Postponing deadlines for many areas across the nation to restore healthy

air;

- Undermining long-standing New Source Review requirements that new and

expanded power plants must install the best pollution control equipment;

- Severely curbing states’ authority to protect their citizens from upwind

power plant pollution.

Disregards Global Warming Though power plants are a major source of global

warming pollution, " Clear Skies " ignores carbon dioxide, providing no limits on

the chief pollutant causing climate change and ignoring the critical issue of

global warming.

 

A Better Way to Clean Air:

With the stroke of a pen, EPA can immediately finalize the pending Clean Air

Interstate Rule (CAIR). CAIR is a cost-effective way to cut power plant

smokestacks. A protective CAIR could prevent up to 16,000 premature deaths and

about

1 million asthma attacks in children annually.

 

Take Action – Send a message to President Bush and to your U.S. senators

urging them to oppose Senator Inhofe's " Clear Skies " smokescreen and to direct

EPA to immediately finalize a protective Clean Air Interstate Rule.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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