Oct. 7, 2011: Congressional Record publishes “EPA REGULATORY RELIEF ACT OF 2011”

Volume 157, No. 150 covering the 1st Session of the 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) was published by the Congressional Record.

The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.

“EPA REGULATORY RELIEF ACT OF 2011” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1807 on Oct. 7, 2011.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

EPA REGULATORY RELIEF ACT OF 2011

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speech of

HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

of maryland

in the house of representatives

Thursday, October 6, 2011

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2250) to provide additional time for the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to issue achievable standards for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers, process heaters, and incinerators, and for other purposes:

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 were supported by large bipartisan majorities in both chambers of Congress. Section 112 of that legislation set forth a data-driven process for emissions reductions across more than 100 source categories--an approach that has proven to be an enormous success, reducing carcinogens and other air toxics by 1.7 million tons a year without hindering economic growth.

Inexplicably, today's legislation flies in the face of this bipartisan achievement. By attempting to first block and then delay EPA's ability to curtail toxic emissions from large industrial boilers and incinerators, H.R. 2250 effectively rewrites Section 112 of the Clean Air Act to prioritize pollution over public health. If permitted to take effect, the mandated three year delay in this bill would cause an estimated 20,000 premature deaths, 126,000 asthma attacks, 12,000 heart attacks and 960,000 days of missed work due to mercury, lead, arsenic and other toxic exposure. This is just completely unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, public health is not a problem. It's a priority. Outside the far right wing of the Republican party, America's broad bipartisan mainstream supports the Clean Air Act and, as a basic expectation of government, wants us to protect their right to healthy air.

We should listen.

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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 157, No. 150