H.R. 3409

Floor Speech

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, today the House votes again to dismantle what was once a bipartisan pledge to the American people--that everyone in this nation deserves clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. On this, the last day of session before the House leadership has chosen to adjourn, we could be passing a jobs bill, extending the middle class tax cuts, or working to prevent the sequester and reduce the deficit. Instead, we are voting on a package of bills--most of which we have voted on before--to strip basic environmental protections for our air and water.

Today's bill would systematically dismantle the Clean Water Act, undermine the Clean Air Act, prevent any action to ensure the safe disposal of coal ash, and eliminate the EPA's ability to reduce carbon pollution.

In an unprecedented move, it would repeal in statute a scientific finding by the Environmental Protection Agency that greenhouse gases endanger public health, confirming that the House of Representatives is an evidence-free zone. Mr. Speaker, I'm afraid some of my Tea Party colleagues would have lined up to put Galileo in jail.

The bill nullifies the new fuel efficiency pollution standards for vehicles--standards that would save consumers money at the pump and that are supported by 13 major auto manufacturers representing more than 90 percent of U.S. vehicle sales. It nullifies the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, preventing the EPA from reducing emissions of mercury, a powerful neurotoxin that is particularly dangerous for young children and pregnant women.

Mr. Speaker, this broad, damaging legislation would roll back 40 years of progress for clean air and water. We cannot afford to return to a time when industrial polluters used lakes and streams as dumping grounds for dangerous chemicals and factories sent toxic fumes into the air. We must protect public health, defend our environment, and reject this bill.

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