Rolling back Clean Air Act has life and death stakes

The Trust for America's Health warns that Chairman Fred Upton's (R-MI) draft bill could undermine the Clean Air Act and thereby harm millions of Americans.

"TFAH is incredibly concerned that the proposed legislation will eliminate current protective measures that address the health impact of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollution," said Jeff Levi, executive director of TFAH.  "We believe the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and any state should be able to create measures that ensure Americans are protected from airborne toxins."

The potential consequences for public health are grave because the Clean Air Act protects the most vulnerable populations—those with asthma and other lung disease, children, older adults, and people with heart disease and diabetes—from the dangers of pollution.  Our nation's commitment to cleaner air, embodied in the forty-year old Clean Air Act, is an investment in prevention that reduces adverse health outcomes and saves lives.  EPA estimates the Act will save more than 160,000 lives in 2011 alone.  

"The science says carbon pollution is bad for our health.  Rolling back EPA's ability to protect the public from this threat literally has life and death stakes," Levi added.