Senate Dems: Overturning Cross-State Pollution Regulations Unfair

By Janie Amaya

Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)  fear that efforts to prevent EPA regulation of cross-state air pollution from taking effect may put their states at a significant disadvantage.

A statement released by Sen. Carper’s office notes, “If this legislation is passed and signed into law, it would remove the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule from the books- leaving Delaware, Rhode Island and other downwind states to continue breathing dirty air from neighboring states.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has taken action to require a Senate vote on legislation to formally overturn the newly formed Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which, according to the EPA, “requires 27 states to significantly improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and/or fine particle pollution in other states.”

Paul has maintained that the regulation is out of step with the data on air pollution and will levy an unfair burden on manufacturers.

During a conference call Monday, Whitehouse said he hopes all Senators from downwind states help resists the passage of the resolution, noting that it is inherently unfair to their states.

“We are on the receiving end of this,” Whitehouse said. “It really isn’t fair cause we have to compete with these states for product manufacturing and for jobs and what they are doing is burning low cost fuels, dumping the pollution on us and also taking jobs away.”

Carper noted that overturning the regulation would be especially problematic for his state, explaining that 90 percent of air pollution came from sources outside of Delaware.