Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3409, the ``Stop the War on Coal Act.'' This legislation represents the wish list of our Nation's worst polluters. It would do nothing to make our country more energy independent, but it would strip Americans of basic clean air and clean water protections. Several provisions of the bill have previously been considered by the Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve, and they are no better than when they were first introduced. They would all have a devastating impact on human health and the environment.

H.R. 3409 would eliminate tailpipe standards to reduce carbon pollution from model year 2017-2025 vehicles, bar EPA from requiring power plants and refineries to reduce carbon pollution, and undo requirements for power plants and refineries to disclose their carbon pollution. Those provisions would make our air dirtier without promoting job growth or energy independence.

The bill would delay the enforcement of the Mercury and Air Toxics and Cross-State Air Pollution standards. The Mercury and Air Toxics Standard will prevent 4,500 cases of acute bronchitis, 12,000 emergency room visits, 120,000 cases of aggravated asthma and more than 6,800 premature deaths annually. The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will prevent 19,000 cases of acute bronchitis, 15,000 nonfatal heart attacks, 400,000 cases of aggravated asthma, and 34,000 deaths per year. Every year these regulations are delayed, over 40,000 preventable deaths will occur.

In 2008, the Kingston coal ash disaster dumped over one billion gallons of coal ash into the Emory River, contaminating drinking water with arsenic, chromium, selenium, lead, and mercury. The EPA submitted two options for regulating of coal ash disposal to prevent a similar disaster in the future. H.R. 3409 would require a standard weaker than either recommendation made by the EPA. It would allow states to regulate coal ash landfills by the same standards we use for ordinary household garbage, subjecting millions of Americans to increased risk of cancer, neurological disorders, birth defects, reproductive failure, asthma, and other complications.

This legislation would allow states to veto EPA water quality decisions even when a water source is heavily polluted. It would also restrict EPA from requiring improvements to state water quality standards when they fail to protect public health. Waterways cross state boundaries, and the effects of one state's lax regulations can have terrible consequences not just to their populations, but also to states downstream.

We have a responsibility to our children and grandchildren to protect the air they breathe and the water they drink. Legislation like H.R. 3409 puts the priorities of a few selfish corporate polluters ahead of hundreds of millions of Americans. I strongly oppose this bill and urge my colleagues to join me in voting against final passage.

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