FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2002      
CONTACT:    David Ponder, ph: 243-2908


Missoula, MT — Senator Max Baucus today voted against, the Clean Power Act, a comprehensive plan to clean up the pollution from the nation’s oldest and dirtiest power plants.  Clean air and public health advocates heavily criticized the Senator for voting against the plan that would address the four major pollutants from the nation’s worst source of industrial air pollution.  Despite the Baucus vote, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, approved the legislation by a vote of 10-9.

“This a major step back for Senator Baucus,” said David Ponder, Executive Director of Montana PIRG.  “We are deeply disappointed he would vote against the only piece of legislation in Congress that moves forward a comprehensive clean up of the nation’s worst source of industrial air pollution.”

The Clean Power Act, S.556, would clean up hundreds of power plants nationwide that emit tens of thousands of tons carbon dioxide, the leading cause of global warming, soot-forming sulfur dioxide, smog-forming nitrogen oxides and toxic mercury.  Nationwide, these plants cause serious health problems, including 30,000 deaths each year and hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks.

“Thousands of children in Montana live in the shadows of old, dirty coal-fired power plants.  These children are exposed to pollutants that cause a host of health problems, from asthma attacks to neonatal death and slowed neurological development,” continued Ponder. “It is disappointing Senator Baucus chose not to help move this critical public health issue forward.”

Unlike some other proposals, the Clean Power Act includes mandatory limits on emissions of carbon dioxide.   Carbon dioxide air pollution forms a heat-trapping blanket in the atmosphere that causes global warming.  As recently documented in the “Climate Action Report 2002,” put together by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and other agencies, Montana will be severely impacted by global warming. According to the report if current trends continue “it is estimated that no glaciers will be found in [Glacier National Park] by 2030.”
 
As written, the Clean Power Act sets a 2008 deadline for utilities to reach a 1.98 million-ton sulfur dioxide cap in the eastern United States and a 275,000-ton cap for the western part of the country. For nitrogen oxides, the bill establishes a nationwide 1.51 million-ton cap. Under the bill, CO2 and mercury caps fall at 2.05 billion tons and 5 tons, respectively. The proposal also establishes a 2008 deadline for EPA enforcement of non-mercury hazardous air pollutant (HAP) regulations and gives all utilities 40 years and older until 2013 to comply with a controversial "birthday" provision to install the best available control technology or face shutdown.

“The Senator’s vote raises serious unease among those concerned about clean, healthy air. Senator Baucus must demonstrate his commitment to addressing these issues.  Not  through campaign pledges or speeches but through action. The people of Montana need to be reassured that the Senator is serious about addressing these critical public health and clean air issues,” concluded Ponder.