The senate just defeated the Edwards amendment 46-50. Of the 4
Absences, all 4 were confirmed votes in favor of the Edwards
Amendment.

This is an impressive vote count on a high-stakes issue, even though
we ultimately lost the day.

Senator Harkin was one of the absent Senators.  I don't know yet why
he wasn't there, but this vote shows that we can't take his support
for granted.

---- Original Message ----
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Clean Air Alert! phone calls needed
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 19:05:16 -0600

>Tomorrow (probably) Senator Inhofe will introduce a compromise
>amendment
>to the good Edwards amendment.  This amendment will let the Bush
>Administration rollbacks go into effect, and then require a health
>effect study after 1 year.  If it passes, the Edwards amendment is
>toothless, and our air will get dirtier.
>
>Senator Harkin's office has told me that he is likely to vote for the
>Edwards amendment.  This is good news, but he needs to get calls on
>the
>Inhofe amendment.  If you haven't called yet, please do so tonight
>and
>leave a message that Harkin should OPPOSE the Inhofe amendment, and
>support the Edwards one.
>
>Harkin's office: 202-224-3254
>
>Please call right away.  These votes are scheduled to start at 8:15
>our
>time tomorrow.
>
>Amber Hard
>Iowa PIRG
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Eric Uram
>Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 9:22 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Clean Air Alert! phone calls needed
>
>Clean Air Action Alert!
>Senate To Vote to Block EPA's New Source Review Rollback
>
>Within the next few days, Senator Edwards will offer an amendment to
>the
>2003 omnibus appropriations bill that will stop EPA from using FY 03
>funds appropriated by Congress to implement any of the final
>weakening
>changes made to the NSR program last month.  The amendment will also
>require a National Academy of Sciences study on the health impacts of
>the final NSR rollback rules signed by EPA on December 31.
>
>This vote is the most significant action on clean air that has been
>considered on the floor of the Senate in years.  We need to get a
>flood
>of calls into key Senate offices NOW.  Below is a brief backgrounder
>on
>the issue, and a short phone rap to use in calling Senate offices.
>
>Senator Harkin has been good on issues like this in the past, and we
>need to instill resolve in him to address these attempts to roll back
>clean air AND water programs that protect the health and well-being
>of
>everyone in Iowa.
>
>Please call today!
>
>Background:
>Today, more than 140 million Americans live in areas where ozone smog
>levels are high enough to cause health problems such as asthma
>attacks
>and declining lung function.  Moreover, fine particle pollution known
>as
>"soot" cuts short the lives of 30,000 Americans annually.  This is to
>say nothing of the severe environmental impacts of air pollution,
>including acid rain, mercury contamination and haze in our national
>parks and wilderness areas.
>
>Unfortunately, the Bush Administration is taking giant steps backward
>on
>air pollution. A coalition of oil, coal and utility lobbyists have
>waged
>a campaign to persuade the Bush Administration to weaken the rules of
>the Clean Air Act, especially the New Source Review program that
>requires power plants, refineries and other industries to install
>state-of-the-art pollution controls when they make major,
>pollution-increasing plant modifications. Each year, this program has
>kept more than a million tons of air pollution out of our skies.
>
>EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman just signed a set of
>regulatory
>changes that add up to the largest regulatory weakening of clean air
>protections in the 30-year history of the Clean Air Act.  These rule
>changes dramatically weaken the NSR program, and could allow
>pollution
>increases from upwards of 17,000 facilities across the nation. On the
>same day, she issued a proposal that would go even further, weakening
>the NSR program to the point of uselessness.
>
>EPA took this action despite widespread opposition among the public,
>more than one thousand medical doctors, forty-four U.S. Senators, and
>more than one hundred members of Congress.  Moreover, EPA ignored
>more
>than a dozen requests from Congress for detailed analysis of the rule
>changes' impact on public health, and requests for public hearings
>and
>opportunity to comment on the rule changes.
>
>Phone rap:
>As I'm sure you know, the Bush Administration has issued rules that
>would weaken requirements that aging power plants and oil refineries
>reduce their air pollution if they expand.   One study found that
>pollution from these sources cause thousands of premature deaths and
>tens of thousands of asthma attacks annually.
>
>Fortunately, Senator John Edwards, (D-NC) is expected to offer an
>amendment to block these weaker rules that would allow more air
>pollution until the health and environmental impacts of these new
>rules
>are studied.  The amendment would be attached to the 2003 omnibus
>spending bill, which could be considered any day now.
>
>Can we count on your support for this amendment on the floor?
>
>==================================================
>
>Eric Uram
>Midwest Regional Representative
>Sierra Club
>214 North Henry Street
>Suite 203
>Madison, WI  53703-2200
>608-257-4994 office
>608-347-8008 cell
>608-257-3513 fax
>[log in to unmask]
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see:
> http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see:
> http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]