R 123

2003 -- H 5201

Enacted 03/27/03

H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

RESPECTFULLY URGING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BLOCK THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY RULES WHICH WILL WEAKEN THE NEW SOURCE REVIEW PROVISION OF THE CLEAN AIR ACT AND TAKE ACTION TO FURTHER RESTRICT EMISSIONS FROM POWER PLANTS

Introduced By: Representatives Ginaitt, Savage, Costantino, Handy, and Gallison

Date Introduced: January 23, 2003

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island and the Northeast region receive a disproportionate amount of

air pollution from Midwest and Southern power plants and factories due to the prevailing winds,

and has more days when the air is unhealthy to breathe than any other region; and

     WHEREAS, Pollution from power plants cuts short an estimated 88 lives in Rhode Island

and 30,000 lives across the United States every year; and

     WHEREAS, More than 140 million Americans live in areas where smog levels are

enough to cause health problems and aggravate asthma, and is especially harmful to vulnerable

groups such as children, the elderly, and people with existing lung and heart disease; and

     WHEREAS, Power plant emissions of the global warming gas carbon dioxide pose

threats to human health and our ecosystems yet are currently free of state or federal regulations;

and

     WHEREAS, The New Source Review provision of the Clean Air Act has historically

required grandfathered power plants that were planned or built before 1977 to update pollution

controls to modern standards when they significantly increased their power generation

capabilities; and

     WHEREAS, Power plants and factories have had more than 30 years to meet modern

pollution control standards and come into compliance with the Clean Air Act; and

     WHEREAS, Many of these power plants and factories have neglected to update pollution

controls as required by the Clean Air Act despite 51 lawsuits that have been filed by the United

State Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice against utility owners of aging

power plants in 13 states; and

     WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency issued new rules on

December 31, 2002 to weaken the New Source Review Provision of the Clean Air Act to allow

more pollution from as many as 17,000 facilities around the country; and

     WHEREAS, Initiatives to cut power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide

by 75% would prevent the premature death of 12,000 Americans each year; and

     WHEREAS, Power plants are the main source of mercury pollution which has

contaminated fish in at least 41 states including Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, Carbon dioxide emissions from power plants is a primary cause of global

climate change; and

     WHEREAS, President Bush's Clear Skies initiative would not adequately protect public

health from power plant emissions, nor would it adequately reduce greenhouse gas emissions that

cause climate change; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby respectfully urges the federal government to block the

implementation of rules signed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency on

December 31, 2002, which would weaken the New Source Review provision of the Clean Air

Act; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations applauds U.S. Senators Reed and Chafee for co-sponsoring the Clean

Power Act of 2002 to place strict controls on emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury

and carbon dioxide; and applauds U.S. Representatives Kennedy and Langevin for co-sponsoring

the Clean Smokestacks Act of 2002, which would do the same to regulate power plant emissions;

and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby respectfully urges and requests that the United States Congress

place strict controls on power plant emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury and

carbon dioxide; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of

the United States, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the

President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Congress of the

United States, and to each member of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation.

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LC00855

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