WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional Republicans are vowing to
prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from using the Clean
Air Act to control pollution that contributes to global warming,
underscoring the threat with a proposed deep cut to the agency's
budget.
Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., chair of a House subcommittee on
energy and power, said that "Congress intends to reassert itself"
in the regulatory process at EPA and the Clean Air Act. He spoke at
the start of a hearing Wednesday on a bill that would curtail the
EPA's powers. At the same time, the GOP proposed a 17 percent cut
in the EPA's budget for next year.
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said the
bill he and Whitfield are proposing would not weaken the Clean Air
Act or limit the federal government's ability to monitor and reduce
health-damaging pollution.
But EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson told the panel that the
legislation would eliminate portions of the landmark law that is
essential for protecting Americans from harmful air pollution. The
Obama administration contends the law and compelling scientific
evidence on global warming have compelled the EPA to act.
By DINA CAPPIELLO
Associated Press
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)