Governor Owens Can Protect Our Air
| By Matthew Garrington - Apr 13th, 2006 at 6:45 pm EDT |
Governor Owens Can Protect Our Air
House Bill 1309 is the most important air quality bill to be passed by the General Assembly since the Colorado Clean Air Act of 1992. The bill is headed for the Governor's desk where he can sign it into law or veto it.
Simply stated, HB 1309 corrects a flaw in Colorado's statues that bars Colorado from creating stronger clean air protections than the federal government. Under the federal Clean Air Act state must act to clean up the air shed if minimum health based standards are violated. The Clean Air Act set up a process with rewards and sanctions to create incentives for states to direct their largest emitters to clean up their act. The authors of the Clean Air Act recognized the standards were the lowest possible standards and fully expected states to go beyond these standards depending on the local needs of the state or metropolitan area.
More importantly, they never expected the federal minimum health standards would be weakened by any administration. Unfortunately in Colorado we have a perfect storm. We have a state law that precludes state health official from using the federal enforcement programs to go beyond minimum federal standards and an administration in Washington D.C. that is aggressively rolling back clean air standards.
HB 1309 allows the Colorado Department of Health and Environment and the Air Quality Control Commission to enact stronger protections if the federal government weakens our basic clean air protections.
Who could oppose this?
Well, anyone with coal plant, oil refinery, steel mill, cement kiln or any other large polluter. The forces opposing HB 1309 represent a who's who of interests who stand to gain from the weakening of clean air standards. I think Representative Matt Knoedler expressed the dirty air arguments against HB 1309 best when he rose on the House floor and said: 'If you don't like mercury, don't eat fish.'
I think most people will reject this 'let them eat cake' approach to protecting our air and support HB 1309.
Matt Baker
Executive Director
Environment Colorado
Attend a rally on Monday, April 17th in support of HB 1309:
Link
Rally to protect Colorado's air quality
YOU ARE INVITED!!!
Join legislators, public health officials, health advocates, religious leaders, local officials, and conservationists for a rally to protect Colorado's air quality.
Supporters will be calling on Governor Owens to sign House Bill 06-1309, the most important clean air bill passed in Colorado since the 1992 Colorado Clean Air Act. HB 1309 would allow Colorado to stop federal rollbacks of clean air standards and maintain current protections for air quality.
When: Monday, April 17th, 2006, 11:15 a.m.
Where: West steps of the state capitol (on Broadway between 14th Ave and Colfax Ave)
Speakers: Sen. Dan Grossman
Rep. Anne McGihon
Curt Huber, American Lung Association of Colorado
Gregg Thomas, Denver Department of Environmental Health
Isaac Silverman, Environment Colorado
House Bill 1309 is the most important air quality bill to be passed by the General Assembly since the Colorado Clean Air Act of 1992. The bill is headed for the Governor's desk where he can sign it into law or veto it.
Simply stated, HB 1309 corrects a flaw in Colorado's statues that bars Colorado from creating stronger clean air protections than the federal government. Under the federal Clean Air Act state must act to clean up the air shed if minimum health based standards are violated. The Clean Air Act set up a process with rewards and sanctions to create incentives for states to direct their largest emitters to clean up their act. The authors of the Clean Air Act recognized the standards were the lowest possible standards and fully expected states to go beyond these standards depending on the local needs of the state or metropolitan area.
More importantly, they never expected the federal minimum health standards would be weakened by any administration. Unfortunately in Colorado we have a perfect storm. We have a state law that precludes state health official from using the federal enforcement programs to go beyond minimum federal standards and an administration in Washington D.C. that is aggressively rolling back clean air standards.
HB 1309 allows the Colorado Department of Health and Environment and the Air Quality Control Commission to enact stronger protections if the federal government weakens our basic clean air protections.
Who could oppose this?
Well, anyone with coal plant, oil refinery, steel mill, cement kiln or any other large polluter. The forces opposing HB 1309 represent a who's who of interests who stand to gain from the weakening of clean air standards. I think Representative Matt Knoedler expressed the dirty air arguments against HB 1309 best when he rose on the House floor and said: 'If you don't like mercury, don't eat fish.'
I think most people will reject this 'let them eat cake' approach to protecting our air and support HB 1309.
Matt Baker
Executive Director
Environment Colorado
Attend a rally on Monday, April 17th in support of HB 1309:
Link
Rally to protect Colorado's air quality
YOU ARE INVITED!!!
Join legislators, public health officials, health advocates, religious leaders, local officials, and conservationists for a rally to protect Colorado's air quality.
Supporters will be calling on Governor Owens to sign House Bill 06-1309, the most important clean air bill passed in Colorado since the 1992 Colorado Clean Air Act. HB 1309 would allow Colorado to stop federal rollbacks of clean air standards and maintain current protections for air quality.
When: Monday, April 17th, 2006, 11:15 a.m.
Where: West steps of the state capitol (on Broadway between 14th Ave and Colfax Ave)
Speakers: Sen. Dan Grossman
Rep. Anne McGihon
Curt Huber, American Lung Association of Colorado
Gregg Thomas, Denver Department of Environmental Health
Isaac Silverman, Environment Colorado
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