DeLauro: Clean Air Act Critical to Protecting Public Health

H.R. 910 will weaken this law, eliminating EPA's tools to address pollution

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement today in response to the passage of H.R. 910, which will limit the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to protect the American public from carbon pollution.

"For more than 40 years the Clean Air Act has helped to make our communities and families healthier, saving 160,000 lives nationwide last year. Additionally, through the EPA's pollution reduction efforts, more than 3.2 million missed school days and 13 million missed work days were prevented. The EPA's ability to regulate dangerous carbon emissions is a critical part of their mission to protect Americans' health, and this bill will reduce the agency's effectiveness. In Connecticut, where an estimated 309,000 people have asthma, of which 76,000 are children, the EPA's role is essential. I am disappointed that this legislation has passed the House of Representatives, and look forward to the President upholding his promise to veto this egregious bill."