Thursday, February 3, 2011

Senators support polluters over asthmatic children

Cross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

As my colleague David Doniger explained, there's a new pollution promoter on the scene, and his name is Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). Barrasso has introduced a bill (S. 228) that would allow unlimited carbon dioxide pollution and dismiss by Congressional fiat the scientific understanding of the life-threatening health threats posed by CO2 pollution.

Barrasso takes his place next to Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), whom the The Hill reports is once again trying to persuade his colleagues to sign onto his bill to stop the EPA's public health protections in its tracks.

I blogged last week about how members of Congress who sign up to stop the EPA's work of protecting our health are putting their constituents and Americans at greater risk for a wide range of health effects, including one that so many people are familiar with: asthma attacks. Some members questioned the link. For instance, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) scoffed at the notion that climate change could impact asthma sufferers, saying, "The NRDC's connection between greenhouse gasses and asthma is a reach at best."



rest http://www.grist.org/article/2011-02-02-senators-support-polluters-over-asthmatic-children

No comments:

Post a Comment