There is a related article in today's Des Moines Register.


Subject: President Bush Poised To Abandon Clean Air Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sierra Club Press Release
June 13, 2002

CONTACT:
Wendy Balazik, 202-675-2383

PRESIDENT BUSH POISED TO ABANDON CLEAN AIR ACT
Power Plants To Continue Spewing Pollution

Washington, DC: Americans won't breathe any easier due to an announcement
today by the Bush Administration.  The Bush Administration is expected to
announce its plan to weaken the clean air protection known as New Source
Review.  This announcement would cripple the Clean Air Act by creating new
loopholes that allow factories, including power plants and oil refineries,
to spew more asthma-causing pollution from their smokestacks.

"These polluters have had decades to clean up their act, but they've just
dragged their feet.  Now the President is trying to give polluters
permission to ignore modern technology and keep fouling our air," said Carl
Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club.  "Local communities want nearby
power plants to clean up their acts, but the Bush Administration is turning
its backs on communities breathing dirty air."

The Bush Administration's announcement will weaken "New Source Review," an
important Clean Air Act program that requires antiquated power plants and
factories to install modern pollution-control equipment when they expand.
Today's announcement creates loopholes, so that some old facilities will be
able to increase pollution without installing modern pollution fighting
technology.

"In some places, air pollution is already so bad that kids can't play
outside during hot summer days without getting sick.  But instead of helping
kids breathe easy, President Bush is letting polluters off the hook,"
continued Pope.  "This announcements puts the interests of big energy
companies ahead of public health and the environment.  Americans want tough
enforcement of our environmental laws, but the Bush Administration is
letting polluters get away red-handed."

New Source Review has been instrumental in regulating refineries and power
plants, which pump millions of tons of pollution into communities.  Power
plants built between 1940 and 1970 emit four to ten times more pollution
than modern plants. One example is coal-fired power plants that emit sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and mercury. These pollutants have
been found after repeated exposure to cause as much damage to human lungs as
smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. High smog levels in the eastern United
States cause 159,000 trips to the emergency room, 53,000 hospital
admissions, and six million asthma attacks each summer.

                                   # # #

DISCLAIMER:  The press release titled, President Bush Poised To Abandon
Clean Air Act, is to be used only for charitable and public education
purposes as it was created using 501(c)(3) funds.  Please feel free to
send that release to other reporters, colleagues and interested parties,
but further distribution of that release must also be for charitable
purposes, not for legislative lobbying.  Communications with Congress
that are aimed at influencing an administrative action rather than
legislation are not lobbying.

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