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Markey Calls For Redoubling of Effort to Prevent Pollution

By: Ed Markey
By: Ed Markey
Date: April 22, 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Environment


NEWS FROM ED MARKEY

United States Congress Massachusetts Seventh District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Mark Bayer / Ana Unruh (202) 225-2836

April 22, 2004

MARKEY CALLS FOR REDOUBLING OF EFFORT TO PREVENT POLLUTION, OPPOSITION TO BUSH ADMINISTRATION ROLLBACKS ON EARTH DAY

Washington, D. C. - Today, Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior Democrat on the Energy
and Commerce and Resources Committees, made the following statement on the occasion of Earth Day.

"Today is Earth Day, a time to consider the health of the environment and recognize the environment's
impact on human health and well-being. We have made strides in cleaning up pollution since the first Earth
Day in 1970, but there is still much to be done."

"But instead of strengthening our environmental laws, the Bush Administration is rolling them back at the
request of the corporate polluters. For an Administration that prides itself on setting non-negotiable deadlines
for the testing of children, it is appalling how easily it allows corporations to pass their environmental exams
by just lowering the standards and giving everyone as much time as they like. This double-standard ends up
in the air and water and hurts every American child."

"And when the Bush Administration doesn't rollback environmental laws, it proposes to exempt parts of the
Federal Government from them. Yesterday, the Department of Defense came before the Energy and
Commerce Committee to propose legislation that would exempt them from critical parts of the Clean Air Act
and the two laws that govern hazardous wastes and Superfund sites. The DOD - responsible for 130
Superfund sites across the nation - is saying to the American people "trust us" when it comes to
environmental compliance on military facilities."

"But we all know that pollution is pollution. An asthmatic child can't tell the difference between military and
civilian pollution, offshore pollution or home-grown pollution-only that there is too much smog in the air.
There is no such thing as 'patriotic pollution'."

"Now is not the time to reduce our efforts to clean up the world around us, but to redouble our efforts to
ensure clean air, water and land for all Americans every Earth Day, and all those non-Earth Days in
between."

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