Senators urge passage of Clean Power Act

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Within days after President Bush changed his mind about limiting carbon dioxide emissions, Sen. Jim Jeffords, R-Vermont, led a group of senators Thursday in urging passage of the Clean Power Act of 2001, asking "dirty power plants to clean up or shut down." The bill would protect the nation's lakes, forests and citizens from the impacts of foul air, Jeffords said. It would reduce electric power plant emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury and carbon dioxide. Backed by Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Connecticut, Hillary Clinton, D-New York, Charles Schumer, D-New York, Susan Collins, R-Maine, Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, and Reps. Henry Waxman, D-California, and Sherwood Boehlert, R-New York, at a Capitol Hill news conference, Jeffords expressed concern about the current energy situation.

"Some might take exception to the notion that carbon dioxide is a pollutant. But those of us gathered here today know that with American ingenuity we can achieve the reductions in the Clean Power Act without shutting out the lights," Jeffords said.

Boehlert pointed out that clean air legislation hasn't been updated in over a decade. He said old power plants grandfathered in under old legislation will no longer be permitted to continue their pollution if this bill is passed.

"This bill has more momentum than ever before -- even after the president's change of heart on CO2," Boehlert added.

Others in the group also lamented that President Bush announced a shift of position on carbon dioxide pollutants.

Waxman said the House is considering a "Clean Smokestacks Act" similar to the one in the Senate, and noted, "President Bush was right when he promised during the campaign to support legislation that would reduce all four power plant emissions. The bills we'll be introducing in the House and the Senate embody the sensible approach. In fact, prior to the president's surprising reversal earlier this week, I had hoped we would win the president's support for our bipartisan approach.

"Our job has become more difficult given the president's unfortunate decision to oppose curbing carbon dioxide emission. But I believe that we have reached the point of no turning back on a four-pollutant approach for these power plant emissions."

Reed said: " I am very disappointed that the president yesterday reneged on his commitment. He did not make a mistake a few months ago when he pledged to curb pollution, he made a mistake yesterday. With this legislation we can rectify that mistake."

Clinton, citing the dangers of the four pollutants from power plants, said "with all due respect to the president with his change of view on carbon dioxide emissions, he is overlooking reality that this bill is market-based, technologically feasible, bipartisan and effective." She said it could be called "the breath of clean air act."

Lieberman said it was troubling that EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman took a position which she thought was consistent with the president and then it changed. "I hate to see that, but maybe if we're successful with our efforts to bring the president back together with his EPA administrator."

Schumer noted that it is cheaper to have better, modern, more efficient plants. Under this bill he said "it would cost power plants about $3 billion to clean up. It's estimated that the costs of the pollution in the air to New York are $60 billion in terms of all of the loss and corrosion and everything else that occurs."

This bill is not only good for the air, but it's good for our economy in every other way, he concluded.

See related sites about Politics

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.