House Republicans Would Slash Environmental Protection Agency by One-Third

Press Release

Sen. Bernie Sanders said he would vigorously fight an assault on the EPA in legislation passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The House-passed bill includes a devastating $3 billion cut to essential programs to safeguard clean air and safe drinking water. It's part of a misguided effort to slash 30 percent from the EPA's budget.

"Frankly, it is a sad state of affairs that in America, in the year 2011, we are even debating this issue," said Bernie, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the Economy. "Why are we even discussing whether or not the American people are entitled to breathe clean air and drink clean water?"

The House Republican plan also slices $1.4 billion from the state revolving funds which provide financing for a wide range of wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects. These funds ensure safe and clean drinking water for people across the nation. An estimated 40,000 jobs would be created by the infrastructure projects.

House Republicans also want to strip the EPA of its authority to regulate carbon pollution and other hazardous air pollution. This effort to deregulate polluters represents an unprecedented attack on science and the health of all Americans. Leading medical groups, including the American Lung Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, have said that continued implementation of the Clean Air Act is "quite literally a matter of life and death for tens of thousands of people and will mean the difference between chronic debilitating illness or a healthy life for hundreds of thousands more."

"I find it unconscionable that my Republican colleagues are attempting to balance the budget by undermining efforts to keep air and water clean," Bernie said.

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