Sen. Carper Helps Defeat Amendment to Delay Critical Efforts to Curb Toxic Air Pollution and Protect Clean Air

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) voted to defeat an amendment to delay the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to move forward with critical efforts to curb harmful air pollution and protect clean air. Specifically the amendment targeted the EPA’s efforts to implement achievable pollution emission standards for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers, process heaters, and incinerators, also known as the Boiler MACT. This amendment not only would delay implementation of these important pollution reduction efforts by 15 months, but would also delay compliance for an additional 5 years. The measure, offered by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), failed by a vote of 46 to 52. Sixty votes were required for the measure to be included in S.1813, Surface Transportation bill. His statement follows:

“Every day, dirty air from our neighboring states has adversely affected the health and well-being of Delawareans and other Americans on the East Coast, just by virtue of our location. One state cannot act alone; we must have a national air pollution strategy to effectively protect the health of Delawareans and all Americans. The Environmental Protection Agency’s clean air rules, including the so-called Boiler MACT, are lifesavers – literally. This particular clean air rule targets our country’s second largest source of man-made mercury and is estimated to prevent up to 8,100 premature deaths every year by reducing dangerous mercury and air toxics from our air. This rule is already 12 years overdue, having been repeatedly delayed. The Environmental Protection Agency has taken great pains, working for over two years, to formulate a common sense rule that will protect both public health and our economy. The longer we wait to implement this rule, the more mercury that is allowed to be released to accumulate in our streams, lakes, fish and children. Unfortunately, this amendment would have delayed the reductions of this toxic pollution until the year 2018. That’s unacceptable. At the end of the day, this clean air effort will save lives and help us achieve better health care results for less money. I thank my colleagues in the Senate for recognizing the dangerous implications in this measure and for defeating this amendment. I will continue to work with this Administration and my colleagues – Democrats and Republicans alike – to make sure that all Delawareans and Americans have clean air to breathe, air that’s free of all types of air pollution, no matter what state they live in.”

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