“By attempting to tie the hands of climate scientists at the EPA, the U.S. House is doing a disservice to New Yorkers. We have done our part to rein in pollution from the power plants, but emissions from other states continue to threaten our air quality, public health and environment. It is time for the lawmakers on Capitol Hill to get out of the way and allow the EPA to finally bring the rest of the nation in line with New York’s climate protection standards.
U.S. House Votes to Block Climate Scientists
Statement from Executive Director Peter Iwanowicz
“By attempting to tie the hands of climate scientists at the EPA, the U.S. House is doing a disservice to New Yorkers. We have done our part to rein in pollution from the power plants, but emissions from other states continue to threaten our air quality, public health and environment. It is time for the lawmakers on Capitol Hill to get out of the way and allow the EPA to finally bring the rest of the nation in line with New York’s climate protection standards.
New York is an established clean air leader. Our efforts have improved the quality of life and overall public health for millions of residents, and our participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has demonstrated to the rest of the country that you can reduce climate pollution while creating a 21st century clean energy economy. Energy producers to the south and west of the state are responsible for the majority of mercury deposits in New York. And our communities are also receiving fine particulates and ground level ozone from states like West Virginia and Kentucky. By failing to support carbon pollution standards for these plants, the House voted to make the job of cleaning up air pollution and addressing the impacts of our changing climate even harder.
Carbon pollution has widespread impacts. Polluting states do not deserve a free pass to pollute their neighbors. The House of Representatives should get out of the way of science, and let the experts do their work without political interference.”
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