FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 9, 2005

CONTACT:
Dave Bard: (w) 202.778.4551, (c) 202.486.4426 Joel Finkelstein: (w) 202.887.1345, (c) 202.887.1345

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STATEMENT OF ANGELA LEDFORD, DIRECTOR, CLEAR THE AIR ON TODAY'S SENATE COMMITTEE VOTE ON THE "CLEAR SKIES" PLAN

"Three years and three EPA administrators later, President Bush still can't get senators to vote to weaken the Clean Air Act. The reason isn't complicated. It's a sweetheart deal for polluters. At the end of the day, senators have to answer to the folks at home, and they want to breathe clean air.

"This is the nail in the coffin for the president's air pollution plan. It's a non-starter, and it always has been. It weakens the basic rules that protect Americans from the serious health impacts of soot and smog, and it does nothing to deal with global warming. This isn't a plan that can get through Congress, and it's no wonder that it's been losing support every step of the way.

"The senators gave this vote careful consideration and decided the country was better off sticking with the current Clean Air Act. Now, incoming EPA Administrator Johnson needs to show he heeds this lesson, and exercise the power of that law. He has the authority to issue strong rules on mercury and interstate air pollution. We hope the administration will let him."