As the new home of MASSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Massachusetts can be contacted regarding this news release.
BOSTON—Weeks after Governors
Pataki and Schwarzenegger penned a letter to Senate leaders urging them not
to weaken the Clean Air Act, Gov. Mitt Romney decided not to sign a similar
letter sent yesterday by northeast governors Jodi Rell of Connecticut and John
Baldacci of Maine.
Bush administration officials
and their allies in Congress have been aggressively pushing legislative and
regulatory changes to federal clean air laws.
"Since the passage of the
Clean Air Act in the 1970s, Massachusetts Governors have been at the forefront
in defending national clean air protections against industry attacks," said
Frank Gorke, an energy analyst with MASSPIRG. "Governor Romney appears to be
breaking with this tradition, making Massachusetts citizens vulnerable to more
pollution if the Bush Administration and Congress succeed in weakening public
health protections."
Members of the US Senate
are in negotiations this week about an industry-supported bill that environmentalists
say would roll back existing clean air standards, and possibly also undermine
the ability of states like Massachusetts to adopt standards that are stronger
than federal law. Because of its serious air quality problems-Massachusetts
is still in violation of federal clean air standards-the state has frequently
set pollution limits that go further than federal law in cutting deadly emissions
from cars, trucks, and power plants.
"While Governor Romney has
not joined in support of the Bush administration's industry-backed air policies,
his failure to oppose the rollback of key portions of the Clean Air Act and
stand up to protect the air quality of the region is very disappointing," said
Cindy Luppi, Clean Water Action Organizing Director. "Massachusetts has a long
history of leading efforts to protect our air - Governor Romney's silence in
this debate is truly unfortunate."
Governor Romney has himself
supported use of the state's long-established right to set strong clean air
limits. Early in his term he led the effort to cut pollution from the Salem
power plant and other "Filthy Five" energy facilities. In June of last year
his Department of Environmental Protection moved forward with rule changes that
adopted the nation's strongest limits on automobile tailpipe emissions, known
as the "California clean cars rules." And in May of that year he released a
Climate Protection Plan that committed his administration to updating those
standards to mirror California's forthcoming limits on global warming pollution.
"The Governor showed real
leadership last spring in announcing the Commonwealth's Climate Protection Plan,
which set out ambitious goals to address climate change by reducing dangerous
air pollution," said CLF President Phil Warburg. "We expect the same leadership
when faced with current efforts to rollback the Clean Air Act-efforts that will
leave major greenhouse gas emitters such as Midwestern power plants unchecked.
By standing silent rather than opposing the Bush Administration's ironically
named 'Clear Skies' initiative, the Governor is endangering public health here
in Massachusetts."
