Shea-Porter Statement on Trump Administration Weakening of Clean Power Rule
Statement
Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) released the following statement after the Trump Administration released its plan to significantly roll back the Clean Power Rule.
"The Trump Administration has made a disgusting choice to place the interests of the fossil fuel industry and their lobbyists above the well-being of the American people. Every American has a right to clean air and water, and this new plan is a profound betrayal of these rights. This plan will hurt our tourism industry. It also threatens those on the Seacoast who are already facing rising sea levels that put their homes and businesses at risk. And it's also a health risk. As the founder of the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus, I'm acutely aware of the relationship between dirty air and asthma, COPD, and other lung diseases. According to Trump's own EPA, it could lead to 1,400 additional premature deaths each year. This is a direct attack on our state, which due to prevailing winds from the Midwest, must contend with dirty emissions released hundreds of miles away. Congress must take action to block this dangerous plan to pad the pockets of some of the wealthiest corporations at the expense of the health and safety of the American people."
Shea-Porter, who served four years on the House Natural Resources Committee, has been a fierce advocate for efforts to combat climate change. Earlier this year, she introduced legislation to promote climate literacy. In 2010, she passed an amendment through the House to protect estuaries, which are critical for the Seacoast economy and local businesses, from the impacts of climate change. Last year, she cosponsored an amendment that was included in the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act to study the impact of climate change on US military readiness. She has been an outspoken critic of the Trump Administration's attempts to weaken protections for the environment. She cosponsored H.R. 1812, which would reverse Trump's executive orders that have sought to "wipe out Obama's climate change record."
Source