Pallone Blasts Republicans for Attempting to Repeal Longstanding Clean Air Standards in Resolution

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following remarks on the House floor today in opposition to S.J. Res. 31, a resolution that invokes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal longstanding Clean Air Act emissions standards: 

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to S.J. Res. 31. On the day that House Republicans are planning to actively strip health care away from 13.7 million Americans, they're also seeking to make Americans sicker by giving some of the worst industrial polluters a free pass to pump dangerous chemicals into communities across the nation. With this resolution, Republicans are repealing critical Clean Air Act safeguards that have been in place for decades.

The rule Republicans are trying to repeal today is first and foremost a public health protection measure. It requires facilities that emit the worst of the worst hazardous air pollutants to monitor, report, and cut those emissions to the maximum degree of reduction achievable—even eliminating them entirely if possible. The rule also prevents any backsliding by major sources of the seven most dangerous hazardous air pollutants, including mercury and PCBs.

But by repealing this rule, Republicans are going to allow large facilities to increase their toxic emissions up to just below the legal limit, endangering the health of American communities. Now, the cruelty of the Republican majority cannot be overstated. I want to be clear: the dangerous air pollution this rule protects us from can cause cancer, birth defects, developmental disorders, and neurological problems, even at small levels of exposure.

Unfortunately, Republicans want to make it easier for large industrial polluters to increase their emissions of these chemicals, regardless of the harms. They want to make Americans sicker at the same time they're looking to strip away their health coverage. Now, allowing nearly 2,000 large industrial facilities to escape from their Clean Air Act compliance obligations, as this resolution allows, will not magically push them to invest in new technologies to clean up.

There is zero evidence that giving facilities a free pass leads to less pollution—in fact, the opposite is certainly true. So, passing this resolution would be a race to the bottom, giving these facilities the green light to permanently abandon their long-installed pollution control equipment that are currently saving lives. This Republican resolution will allow these facilities to spew hazardous air pollution into the air with reckless abandon and increase cancer-causing pollution without consequence.

It would also allow these facilities to stop monitoring and reporting to the EPA, which would end any chance of accountability for surrounding communities. And the Trump EPA has been clear that enforcement of environmental laws is not a priority, so American families would be at the mercy of large corporate polluters. 

This resolution proves, once again, the Republicans are completely out of touch. Americans are struggling to make ends meet and facing the reality that Republicans may soon strip them and their families of health care. But their focus is on repealing common sense protections that make the air safer to breathe. 

In the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, Congress recognized the clear and present danger caused by hazardous air pollution coming from large industrial sources across the country. It is because of requirements put in place to address that danger that we've seen such a sharp emissions reduction in cleaner air over the past half century. 

To turn back now, because of the CRA vote, would be catastrophic—especially for anyone who lives near an industrial facility. And it's not enough to gut the health care of millions of Americans, Republicans first want to make sure the air we all breathe will do us harm. S.J. 31 is cynical, dangerous, and deeply irresponsible. Congress should be trying to protect Americans, not trying to make them sick. So, Mr. Speaker, for the health and safety of all Americans and for the sake of clean air, I urge all my colleagues to vote no on this resolution.

And I reserve the balance of my time.

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