INSIDE CONGRESS DIRTY LITTLE PLAN The dirty little plan that the Administration calls "clear skies" has been introduced in both houses of Congress this week. As we've indicated numerous times in past Insiders, the plan would allow for more pollution over a longer period of time than the current Clean Air Act. Sen. Joe Lieberman has vowed to filibuster the legislation unless stricter standards are put into place and carbon dioxide--the main contributor to global climate change--is included as one of the regulated pollutants. Lieberman earlier introduced legislation that would require industry to control CO2 output, and has signed on to Sen. Jeffords' Clean Power Act which offers more strict pollution regulations than the Administration's plan. Read more about the introduction of the dirty little plan: <A HREF="http://www.lcv.org/newsroom/news/2003/03/03/news_32423.asp">http://www.lcv.org/newsroom/news/2003/03/03/news_32423.asp</A> A CLEAN SUIT Monday marked a regulation regression as the Administration's watered-down New Source Review regulations went into effect--but not without a fight. California, Illinois, and Wisconsin have joined a suit brought by 10 Northeastern states to battle the Administration's weakened rule, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to a lucky 13. The suit has found friends in the Senate who plan weigh in on the case. "These Clean Air Act changes are harmful to our environment, to our health, and to the ability of our states to protect the quality of our air and they go directly against the intent of Congress," said New York's Hillary Clinton, one of 9 Senators signing on to the brief. The states aren't the only ones to get in on the action. A coalition of environmental and public health groups also joined in on the legal fun, filing their own lawsuit. Under the revised NSR rule, industries can avoid upgrading older facilities, allowing them to continue spewing out pollution without installing modern pollution controls. Read more about the NSR suit in our Newsroom: http://www.lcv.org/newsroom/news/2003/02/28/news_32424.asp Erin E. Jordahl Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280 Des Moines, IA 50310 515-277-8868 [log in to unmask] www.iowa.sierraclub.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp