2003 -- H 5201

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LC00855

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2003

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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

RESPECTFULLY URGING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BLOCK THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

RULES WHICH WILL WEAKEN THE NEW SOURCE REVIEW PROVISION OF THE

CLEAN AIR ACT AND TAKE ACTION TO FURTHER RESTRICT EMISSIONS FROM

POWER PLANTS

     Introduced By: Representatives Ginaitt, Savage, Costantino, Handy, and Gallison

     Date Introduced: January 23, 2003

     Referred To: Joint Environment & Energy

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     WHEREAS, Rhode Island and the Northeast region receive a disproportionate amount of

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air pollution from Midwest and Southern power plants and factories due to the prevailing winds,

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and has more days when the air is unhealthy to breathe than any other region; and

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     WHEREAS, Pollution from power plants cuts short an estimated 88 lives in Rhode Island

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and 30,000 lives across the United States every year; and

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     WHEREAS, More than 140 million Americans live in areas where smog levels are

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enough to cause health problems and aggravate asthma, and is especially harmful to vulnerable

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groups such as children, the elderly, and people with existing lung and heart disease; and

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     WHEREAS, Power plant emissions of the global warming gas carbon dioxide pose

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threats to human health and our ecosystems yet are currently free of state or federal regulations;

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and

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     WHEREAS, The New Source Review provision of the Clean Air Act has historically

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required grandfathered power plants that were planned or built before 1977 to update pollution

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controls to modern standards when they significantly increased their power generation

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capabilities; and

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     WHEREAS, Power plants and factories have had more than 30 years to meet modern

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pollution control standards and come into compliance with the Clean Air Act; and

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     WHEREAS, Many of these power plants and factories have neglected to update pollution

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controls as required by the Clean Air Act despite 51 lawsuits that have been filed by the United

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State Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice against utility owners of aging

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power plants in 13 states; and

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     WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency issued new rules on

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December 31, 2002 to weaken the New Source Review Provision of the Clean Air Act to allow

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more pollution from as many as 17,000 facilities around the country; and

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     WHEREAS, Initiatives to cut power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide

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by 75% would prevent the premature death of 12,000 Americans each year; and

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     WHEREAS, Power plants are the main source of mercury pollution which has

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contaminated fish in at least 41 states including Rhode Island; and

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     WHEREAS, Carbon dioxide emissions from power plants is a primary cause of global

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climate change; and

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     WHEREAS, President Bush's Clear Skies initiative would not adequately protect public

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health from power plant emissions, nor would it adequately reduce greenhouse gas emissions that

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cause climate change; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby respectfully urges the federal government to block the

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implementation of rules signed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency on

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December 31, 2002, which would weaken the New Source Review provision of the Clean Air

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Act; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations applauds U.S. Senators Reed and Chafee for co-sponsoring the Clean

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Power Act of 2002 to place strict controls on emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury

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and carbon dioxide; and applauds U.S. Representatives Kennedy and Langevin for co-sponsoring

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the Clean Smokestacks Act of 2002, which would do the same to regulate power plant emissions;

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and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby respectfully urges and requests that the United States Congress

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place strict controls on power plant emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury and

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carbon dioxide; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of

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the United States, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the

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President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Congress of the

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United States, and to each member of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation.

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LC00855

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