Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3021, 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3021, 21ST CENTURY GREEN HIGH-PERFORMING PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES ACT -- (House of Representatives - June 04, 2008)

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Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, as the author of an amendment that was not made in order under this rule, I rise in opposition to this rule. My amendment would have prohibited taxpayer funds authorized by this bill from being used to purchase mercury-laden compact fluorescent light bulbs, also known as the CFL.

Mr. Speaker, it is not my intention to take the choice away from public schools as to how to meet their lighting needs. In fact, I believe that Congress already makes, too often, decisions for our citizens. But it is Congress' single-minded dangerous pursuit of this environmental fad that has gotten us all to this point of silliness today.

Congress must ensure that mercury-laden light bulbs are safe before we encourage their use in our child's classrooms. There are very serious health concerns about these light bulbs that are filled with mercury. They pose problems to humans precisely because of their high mercury content, and we must be sure of their safety before we force them on our public school children through this ill-conceived law.

When mercury light bulbs break, let's remember, extensive cleanup is needed. That's what these regulations show us. This is very highly selective and very detailed clean-up regulations.

What does this mean for school children that could be exposed to light bulbs of the broken mercury latent light bulbs? On the EPA's own Web site

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are these eight pages of instructions about how to deal with a mercury spill, specifically including spills due to broken mercury light bulbs.

Let me run you through just some of the steps for cleaning up just one broken mercury light bulb.

Before the clean-up ever begins, people must leave the room for 15 minutes as the room airs out putting a halt to the learning that's taking place in the classroom. The school then is told to shut off their central air-conditioning system, or, in Minnesota's case, central heating system, and then they're told not to use a broom to sweep up the broken light bulb as they could come in contact with mercury at a later time.

This should give Congress pause to think about this next rule that says if clothing comes in contact with a broken light bulb and the mercury, it must be disposed of immediately. Imagine that. Children or teachers or the janitorial staff would have to remove their clothing immediately, and we're told that you are not allowed to wash your clothes. That's what the EPA rules say. You're not allowed to wash your clothes. That won't do the trick because mercury fragments in the clothing might contaminate the washing machine and also pollute sewage.

Let's get this straight. Congress is worried about harming sewage and yet we're rushing to place these mercury light bulbs in our classrooms next to our children. That step alone should be a warning to the dangers of mercury-laden light bulbs.

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