Banning Asbestos
Op-Ed
Banning Asbestos
Dear Bryan:
Rep. Betty McCollum with Sue Vento
On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials convened to confront a very troubling fact: America has not yet banned asbestos.
Many people assume that this deadly material and the health risks it poses are a thing of the past. But today, asbestos is still found in numerous products sold in the U.S., including brake pads and roofing materials. Asbestos exposure continues to cause serious illnesses like mesothelioma, claiming the lives of up to 10,000 Americans each year.
I have introduced the Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act (H.R. 3339) to finally ban asbestos in the United States and invest in treatment for asbestos-related diseases. The bill is named in honor of my predecessor in Congress and a dear friend, former Fourth District Representative Bruce Vento, who lost his life to mesothelioma in 2000 after being exposed to asbestos as a young man.
Bruce's wife, Sue, was present at the hearing yesterday, and she has been campaigning tirelessly to get this legislation through Congress. A companion bill has already been unanimously approved by the Senate, so passage of the House version will be a major step toward putting the ban into law.
This week's hearing was a promising development, with both Democrats and Republicans expressing support for moving the bill forward. For the sake of all those who still suffer from asbestos exposure and in honor of those whose lives it has claimed, I look forward to swift action to make this legislation law.
Sincerely,
Betty McCollum Signature
Congresswoman Betty McCollum
Serving Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District
This Week's Highlights
House Passes Energy Bill
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a major energy bill that will invest in alternative energy sources like wind turbines and geothermal power. The legislation will be funded by rolling back millions in unnecessary tax breaks for oil companies at a time when Exxon Mobile is reporting the largest corporate profits in U.S. history. Click here to learn more about the bill.
McCollum Questions Bush Cabinet Officials on Budget
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt were on Capitol Hill this week to defend their 2009 budget requests before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. As a member of the committee, Rep. McCollum expressed her disappointment at the administration's under-funding of K-12 education, Head Start, and children's health care.
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