Cong. Jim Moran's work re: EPA's fiscal support (HR 1) - still fighting

[spooky3]

Here's a message I got in response to my email:

"Thank you for contacting me to register your concerns regarding the treatment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the fiscal 2011 continuing resolution (H.R.1). I appreciate and share your concerns.

Last year, a minority in the Senate blocked completion of the fiscal 2011 budget. Unable to reach an agreement with the minority, Congress deferred all major spending decisions until the next Congress convened in January 2011, passing instead a short term continuing resolution (CR) that keeps federal agencies and programs operating at fiscal 2010 levels through March 4, 2011. Having been elected to office with the promise to cut spending, the new House Republican majority began floor consideration of a full year continuing resolution (CR) on February 14. The measure cuts spending approximately $61 billion below the fiscal 2010 spending level. But since it exempts all entitlement programs and all defense and homeland security programs from reductions, the cuts fall entirely on just one-eighth of total federal spending. Enactment of these cuts will bring non-security discretionary spending down to its lowest share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) since the Eisenhower Administration.

In my view, these cuts are unbalanced, vindictive, and risk upsetting our fragile recovery as they force the immediate termination of more than 800,000 public and private sector jobs. They also fall unfairly on just 12 percent of the federal budget and disproportionately fall on programs serving those with the greatest needs including kicking more than 200,000 children out the Head Start program a little more than halfway into the school year. While EPA's budget cuts are not as a dramatic as the cuts to Head Start, they amount to a $3 billion, 30 percent reduction below the fiscal 2010 level. They will weaken our commitment to clean up toxic waste sites, maintain critical investments in clean water and research on cleaner, less polluting chemicals and will slow down the pace of regulatory and enforcement actions.

Even more troubling than the scope and depths of the cuts are the policy riders that suspend EPA's ability to carry out its obligations under landmark environmental laws. As approved by the full House on February 19th, the bill contains at least 22 anti-environmental and anti-conservation riders. EPA will be blocked from:

· Implementing modest emission limits on major new sources of greenhouse gas
emissions;

· Enforcing pollution limits designed to reduce sediment and nutrients polluting the
Chesapeake Bay;

· Resolving a long-standing dispute over the definition of waters under the
jurisdiction of the Water Pollution Control Act that will enable EPA to
protect wetlands and fresh sources of drinking water;

· Issuing new standards for handling ash waste from coal-fired utility plants;

· Setting a standard to reduce nutrients that are destroying the Everglades
and endangering South Florida's major source of fresh drinking water; and

· Setting safer mercury and acid gas limits at industrial cement kilns.


During the 60 hours of floor debate, I led the opposition to many of these anti-environmental riders. Excerpts of two of the the floor debates can be viewed at the following websites:

1) http://www.youtube.com/user/RepJamesPMoran#p/u/12/G1B0T1up8IQ

2) http://www.youtube.com/user/RepJamesPMoran#p/u/15/rQrVpAIXOHo

While the votes were not there to defeat these riders, I am encouraged by the outpouring of editorials and public opposition to them. I believe the assaults against EPA and clean air and water will be overwhelmingly rejected by the public and pledge to do all I can to ensure this horrendous bill does not clear Congress.

Thank you again for contacting me.


Sincerely,
James P. Moran"