New Hampshire's Attorney General was in Washington today. He joined several other northeastern attorneys general to urge the White HOuse not to undermine pollution standards. The Bush Administration's EPA is considering changes to the Clean Air Act cutting requirements that coal fired power plants must install new technology to reduce pollution. But McLaughlin and the others warned the White House they would resist the effort. Priscilla Huff has more from Washington.
For Attorney General Philip McLaughlin, dirty air is a matter of survival for the Granite State.
"New Hampshire is a small state. and the mainstay of its economy is its
lakes and mountains. The fact of the matter is, the scientific fact of the
matter is, New Hampshire has been a dump for acid generated in the midwest
and has been a dump for a long time."
MCLAUGHLIN JOINED THE ATTORNEYS GENERAL OF EIGHT OTHER NORTHEREASTERN STATES
TO URGE THE BUSH ADMINISTATION NOT TO CHANGE EPA CLEAN AIR STANDARDS.
THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT WANTS TO LOWER ENERGY COSTS
and its under pressure from the power industry -- they argue stricter
pollution standards increases costs for energy.
BUT NEW YORK'S ATTORNEY GERNERAL ELIOT SPITZER SAYS his state faces big
problems due to existing loopholes in environmental regulations.
HE ESTIMATES THAT IN SOME PARTS OF NEW YORK, OVER 80% OF POLLUTOIN COMES
FROM OUT OF STATE.
sot
The impact of power plant pollution in my state of new york has been
especially severe. hundreds of lakes in the national treasure of the
adirondacks are dead due to the ravages of acide rain.
States in the Northeast HAVE ARGUED FOR YEARS THAT much of the pollution
FOULING THEIR AIR LAND AND WATER BLOWS IN FROM coal-FIRED power plants in
the Midwest.
They fear the Bush administration will make existing CLEARN AIR ACT
loopholes even larger, allowing Midwest plants to continue polluting.
Scott Segal, A LOBBYIST FOR several utilities, disputes the claim power
plant emissions are the biggestcause of pollution.
sot
The most likely source for health impacting pollution is automobiles. from
the suvs that ply the hills of vermont to the congested streets of new york
city. that is the primary source of health-impacting air emissions.
According to the New York Times, the Bush administration is considering a
RANGE OF suggestions to reform the clean air act FROM clarifying rules on
renovations TO
options on how to estimate how measure future pollution by a power plant.
BUT Scott Segal, the power industry lobbyist, thinks northeastern states are
unfairly singling out a few
sot
this is a war on existing electrical generating capacity that is coal fired
and it is not a good faith discussion of environmental protection.
BUT ATTORNEY GENERAL MCLAUGHLIN SAYS HE wants the bush
administration to make the right decision for everyone.
sot
we have the science, we have the technology we have the tools, we have the
rules. we have the regulation. the question is, do we have the political
will to make the right decision for the good of the country plants,
certainly good for those who live in the northeast.
The White House refuses to speculate on what decision President Bush might
make, saying they don't even have the EPA report
But, the states are warning, if the Bush administration makes the wrong
decision, the attorneys general will tie up the new regulations in litigation.
for NHPR news this is Priscilla Huff in Washington.
