Same Letter, Different Senator

I will be responding to her as well. Senator Shaheen rocks my socks. And she still sends my brother a Christmas card from when he volunteered for her campaign for Governor of NH.

Dear Greg,

Thank you for contacting my office with your concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to regulate harmful pollutants. I appreciate hearing from you about this important issue.

The Clean Air Act has been one of the greatest public health successes we have ever had in this country. In 1970, Republicans and Democrats came together to pass this landmark legislation to address air pollution that was leading to countless deaths and lifetimes spent battling chronic illness such as asthma and emphysema.

Since we passed the Clean Air Act of 1970, we have dramatically reduced emissions of dozens of pollutants. We have improved air quality and the public health. The EPA estimates that in 2010 alone the Clean Air Act prevented 1.7 million asthma attacks, 130,000 heart attacks, and 86,000 emergency room visits. This is particularly important to New England since we suffer the effects of pollution from coal-fired power plants in the Midwest. In fact, New Hampshire has one of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country.

Under the Clean Air Act, we have been able to grow our economy. Our gross domestic product has more than tripled since 1970, and the average household income has grown more than 45%. We know that we can protect public health, save our environment, and grow our economy. We saw this happen in New Hampshire when in 2001 we passed the first legislation in the country to deal with four major pollutants. We can protect public health without unfairly burdening small businesses.

In the Senate, I oppose efforts to undercut the EPA's ability to regulate carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act. In addition to hurting public health, hindering EPA's ability to do its work would undermine the transition to a clean energy economy that American industry needs to remain competitive.

I will continue to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to develop an energy policy that drives innovation in American-made energy technologies and energy efficiency. While I believe Congress is best suited to draft cost-effective, flexible clean energy policies, I also believe that the EPA must work to create certainty for businesses and protect families from harmful pollution.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me and please do not hesitate to contact my office with any future concerns.

Sincerely,

Jeanne Shaheen
United States Senator