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New Hampshire Senators Back Clean Air Rule

 New Hampshire’s U-S senators helped defeat a measure to unwind new regulations to clean up air in the Granite State.

The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to prevent unhealthy smog and soot from coal fired power plants in 27 states from spreading to other states. The EPA’s cross-border pollution rule would force those states to drastically cut their emissions.

But tea party backed Kentucky freshman Rand Paul forced the Senate to vote on unwinding those new rules to protect his coal rich home state.

New Hampshire Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte broke with the majority of her party and opposed the bill.

“I think it’s very important that we’re not the tail pipe for out of state power plants, and this is an important issue that we can’t address within our own state because it’s essentially pollution coming to New Hampshire and impacting our quality of life.”

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen also opposed the effort to unwind the new clean air rules. The fight isn’t over yet though. Other senators are floating proposals to delay the new air standards.  

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