Air pollution in the U.S. is still bad enough to trigger millions of asthma attacks and send hundreds of thousands of kids and senior citizens to hospital emergency rooms each year.

Yet, instead of taking tough action against air pollution, President Bush has responded with an industry-friendly plan that actually allows more pollution into our skies.

We need a different plan, one that protects our health now and for the future.

Clean Air Now! To protect our health, the Bush administration should drop its plans to gut the New Source Review rules, and policymakers should reject proposals to repeal any program under the current Clean Air Act. Our nation should adopt comprehensive new standards for power plants that require: Older plants to meet modern emissions standards for soot and smog-forming pollutants;   A nationwide 75 percent reduction in smog-and soot-forming pollution from power plants; A 90 percent reduction in toxic mercury from coal-burning power plants; and A mandatory reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from power plants to levels emitted in 1990, as required by an international agreement signed by President George Bush in 1992. Action Alert! President Bush has unveiled revisions to the Clean Air Act which will weaken our clean air protections.  Act now by asking President Bush to keep our clean air laws strong. Act Now!

Action Alert: Tell Senator Baucus You're Disappointed with His Vote Against Cleaner Air

The Clean Power Act (S.556) passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Thursday, June 27th with a vote of 10-9, despite Montana Max Senator Baucus. The senior member of the committee who has voted in the public interest on past clean air issues instead chose to side with industry on this important bill.

The bill calls to dramatically reduce four main power plant pollutants; mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide. Scientific evidence shows that these pollutants have severe impacts on public health, and particularly aggravate respiratory problems. This same pollution contributes to some of our worst environmental problems, such as ozone damage to trees and crops, mercury contamination of fish and streams, and global climate change.  Read MontPIRG's press release for more information.

Call or E-mail Senator Max Baucus TODAY and let him know you disappointed in his opposition to Clean Air in Montana. 1-800-332-6106 or max@baucus.senate.gov

Millions Of Americans Already Breathe Air Deemed Hazardous By The EPA

Air pollution is causing a public health crisis in the U.S. Each year, smog and soot cause millions of asthma attacks and even the premature death of tens of thousands of Americans. Children, senior citizens and people with asthma are most at risk.

Electric power plants emit more of the pollution that causes smog and soot formation than any other industry. Moreover, these same plants are the largest source of the pollutants that cause mercury contamination in our food chain, acid rain, haze in our national parks and global warming.


The Bush Air Pollution Plan Threatens Our Health
We need more, not less, protection against dangerous air pollution. But, President Bush’s air pollution plan would dismantle key clean air safeguards, allowing far more pollution into our skies.

Under the direction of Vice President Cheney, and to the delight of lobbyists from the big energy companies , President Bush’s plan would allow power plants, refineries and other facilities to emit hundreds of thousands of tons of additional pollution each year. The president’s plan would also replace clean air programs with much weaker air pollution caps, undoing decades of progress toward cleaner air. These changes to current standards would weaken an integral program known as “New Source Review” (NSR), by opening as many as nine new loopholes. This program is designed to ensure that old power plants and other industrial facilities eventually install modern pollution controls, which are required at new facilities.

Under President Bush’s plan, old, dirty plants would be allowed to emit 10 times more pollution per year compared to new facilities, and may never be required to clean up.

Gutting the NSR program would have dire health consequences for thousands of Americans. For example, between 5,500 and 9,000 premature deaths could be avoided each year by cleaning up just 51 dirty power plants that are currently being sued for violations of the NSR program.

Administration Proposes Weaker Emissions Standards
President Bush’s air pollution plan would also weaken emissions standards set by the Clean Air Act to make our air cleaner by 2012. Not only would these changes permit more pollution, but they wouldn’t take full effect until 2018. This would mean six more years of breathing unhealthy air from power plants that should have cleaned up their acts long ago.

Public Concern Abounds: A Shortsighted Plan Scrutinized
Who favors the Bush plan on air pollution? Many of the same energy companies that contributed at least $2.4 million to the president’s election campaign. Who’s against it? So far, a broad range of environmental leaders, public health advocates, state and local government officials, and media outlets have spoken out against the plan. Among them:

"Bush’s plan would allow 36 percent to 100 percent more
—The Newark Star-Ledger , Monday, February 18, 2002
 
"Bush’s Clean Skies standards wouldn’t even start phasing in until 2008, and in the meantime his plan would weaken the Clean Air Act to allow massive new increases in air pollution—a 36% increase in smog-producing pollutants, a 50% increase in the pollution that causes acid rain and a 73% increase in toxic mercury emissions."
—Los Angeles Times , February 15, 2002

"It’s a very dangerous camouflage for a retreat on clean air . . . "
—Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in the Hartford Courant, February 15, 2002

"In effect, this has become a polluter protection plan. . . It’s a Valentine’s Day Massacre of the Clean Air Act."
—Frank O’Donnell, Clean Air Trust

Powerful special interests may support the Bush air pollution plan, but as the Enron scandal has shown, an informed and engaged public can motivate leaders to act. We need your help to stop the clean air rollbacks.  Visit our Clean Air Now! site to take action.

Also see recent commentary from our director about this issue: The Clean Air Act Under Attack .