March 28, 2003

Sierra Club and Environmental Advocates of New York Join Congressmen McNulty and Hinchey to Speak Out Against Bush Administration Plan to Weaken Clean Air Laws

Albany, NY-Concerned about the health and safety consequences of a proposal to weaken a critical Clean Air Act program, representatives from the Sierra Club and Environmental Advocates of New York joined Congressman Michael McNulty (D-NY21) and Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY26) to ask a key question: Why is the Bush administration allowing industry to pollute more when existing technology makes it easier than ever to further protect families from air pollution? Under pressure from the coal industry and polluting companies, the Bush administration plans to eliminate the New Source Review program, which makes older power plants and refineries install modern pollution control technology when they increase emissions of dangerous air pollution.

By holding industrial companies responsible for the pollution they emit, the Clean Air Act has drastically improved pollution control technology and modern power plants now routinely achieve pollution reductions of more than 75%. The New Source Review program has been responsible for the reduction of thousands of pounds of soot and smog forming pollutants and plays an instrumental role in continuing the success of the Clean Air Act.

"You can literally see the difference the Clean Air Act has made improving America's air quality," said John Stouffer, Legislative Director of Sierra Club's Atlantic Chapter. "So why, when this safeguard is clearly working, is the Bush administration making it a priority to let polluting industries off the hook?"

New Source Review was established more than two decades ago to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, and other large facilities. The program requires companies to install modern pollution control technologies in new plants, and in old plants when they make significant emissions-increasing modifications. In 1999, the EPA alleged that 51 power plants had violated New Source Review. According to a study by EPA's consultants, installing modern pollution controls at the 51 plants would save over 4,300 lives every year and prevent 80,000 asthma attacks annually.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration has backed away from cleaning up those plants and has instead focused on weakening the New Source Review program. If the Bush administration's plan is adopted, New Source Review will rarely, if ever, require an old factory to clean up.

"The Bush administration is allowing the coal industry and polluting companies to benefit at the expense of public health and the environment," said Christine Vanderlan of Environmental Advocates. "But we can do better; we have the technology to clean the smog, soot and mercury from our air. All we lack is the political will to do it."

The EPA will hold five public hearings throughout the country on Monday, March 31st, to hear public comment on the proposed changes to the New Source Review Program. One of these hearings will be in Albany, NY at the Wolf Road Marriott Hotel, beginning at 9:00am and Sierra Club and Environmental Advocates of New York will join other environmental and public health groups to rally for clean air from 9:30 to 10:30am.