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The Senate's Forthcoming Climate Bill - A Devil's Bargain?

The one place a climate and clean energy bill should never go







Here are some details on what exactly is happening:

Electric utilities -- mostly composed of coal-burning power plants -- are a major source of global warming pollution in the U.S., contributing a third of all of the U.S.'s total greenhouse gas emissions. From now on, I'll refer to these entities as what they are: "big polluters."

Recently, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed that Senate leaders are working on a climate change and energy bill that would set up a scheme for carbon emissions reductions for big polluters only, due to a lack of votes for carbon reductions from all sectors.

Big polluters are pushing hard for some unconscionable giveaways in order to accept a new carbon-reduction bill. They are now talking about only agreeing to a utilities-limited climate bill if they are given, in exchange, some free passes on controls for other long-regulated pollutants—namely a host of "conventional" pollutants that make up deadly lung disease-causing, cancer-causing, asthma-causing soot and smog. These are the dangerous and nasty air pollutants that the Clean Air Act was written to address and clean up, and it has done exactly that for 40 years now.

Why is it absolutely unthinkable and out of the question that these big polluters should be able to bargain away America's health protections (aka controls on soot and smog) for any reason whatsoever, even for a climate bill? The facts speak for themselves:

• Numerous scientific studies have established direct links between exposure to soot and smog and a variety of health problems, including: premature death, heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms such as coughing or difficulty breathing. These illnesses result in tens of thousands of emergency room visits, hospitalizations and lost work days each year.

• Soot and smog caused by U.S. coal-fired power plants power plants have been estimated to kill 24,000 people each year, including 2,800 from lung cancer, but thankfully that number is decreasing as coal plants are forced to install modern controls or "scrubbers." (Clean Air Task Force Report: Dirty Air, Dirty Power: Mortality and Health Damage Due to Air Pollution from Power Plants)

• In 2000, Clean Air Act programs, including those under attack, saved the nation $500 billion in mortality costs. Without interference, EPA expects that number to go up to $730 billion this year, and $1.2 trillion in 2020. (EPA, Second Section 812 Prospective Analysis, Nov. 2009)

And this information is just scratching the surface. David Roberts of Grist frames this push by utilities as the scam of the decade.

The bottom line: A provision that seeks to undercut life-saving Clean Air Act programs has no place in a clean energy or climate change bill. This devil's bargain should not even be a consideration. It is a total non-starter and must be laid to rest.

We must tell our Senators not to let big polluters bargain our lungs and health away. Take action now and tell your senators this won't stand!