Bush air pollution plan weakens current law, threatens public health
February 27, 2003: The Bush administration's air pollution plan, misleadingly dubbed the "Clear Skies Initiative," was reintroduced in Congress. If enacted, the plan would weaken public health protections of the current Clean Air Act. It would delay and dilute cuts in power plants' sulfur, nitrogen and mercury pollution compared to timely enforcement of current law. By allowing industry to make fewer reductions in toxic pollution over a much longer period of time than current law, critics say the plan would cost thousands of lives, intensify global warming and reward polluting industries that have been flouting the law for years.
The administration plan allows more than twice as much SO2 for nearly a decade longer (2010-18), compared with faithful enforcement of the current Clean Air Act. After 2018, SO2 emissions will still be one and a half times higher than if current law is enforced. The plan allows more than one and a half times as much NOx for nearly a decade longer (2010-2018), and one third more NOx even after 2018. The plan also lets power plants emit more than five times as much mercury for a decade longer (2010-2018), and three times as much after 2018.
"The Bush air pollution plan would It would make lethal pollution legal, condemning millions of Americans to breathing dangerous air," said David Doniger, policy director of NRDC's Climate Center.
© 2009 Natural Resources Defense Council
