Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. David Price (D-NC) circulated a letter to colleagues from over 2,500 scientists—from all 50 states—who wrote Congress urging members to support the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority carry out its mission to protect public health and address global warming under the Clean Air Act. Republicans have proposed rolling back the EPA's authority in the wake of significant pressure from outside groups.

"The argument that clean air somehow poses a hazard to the economy is as ridiculous now as it was in the 1970s, when the major polluters used it to try and stop enactment of landmark environmental laws," Rep. Price said. "Rolling back the EPA's authority to regulate pollutants – whether carbon monoxide or lead – won't create a single job. It will simply undo 40 years of progress toward a cleaner environment and better public health."

In the letter, Rep. Price defended the Clean Air Act and EPA's regulatory role noting that the "science-based law has prevented 400,000 premature deaths and hundreds of millions of cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease during the 40 years since it was first passed—all without diminishing economic growth."

In the second paragraph of their letter, the scientists outline the legal, regulatory and scientific timeline of the updated standards:

On April 2, 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that global warming emissions are air pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act (CAA).1 Subsequently, the EPA performed an exhaustive review of the relevant scientific research and determined that global warming emissions endanger public health and welfare and therefore must be regulated under the CAA. Because the EPA's finding is based on solid science, any effort to prevent or delay the agency from taking action to reduce global warming emissions is a rejection of that science.

The full text of both letters follows. A complete list of signatories to the scientists' letter is available here.

Scientists support Clean Air Act carbon pollution standards

Dear Colleague:

I would like to draw your attention to the letter signed by more than 2,500 American scientists calling on the Congress to support the EPA's updated carbon pollution standards under the Clean Air Act, noting that the "science-based law has prevented 400,000 premature deaths and hundreds of millions of cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease during the 40 years since it was first passed—all without diminishing economic growth."

Sincerely,

Rep. David Price

Member of Congress

February 2011

Scientists' Statement on the Clean Air Act

Dear Congress,

We, the undersigned, urge you to support the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) authority under the Clean Air Act to take action that will protect public health and address global warming.

On April 2, 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that global warming emissions are air pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act (CAA).1 Subsequently, the EPA performed an exhaustive review of the relevant scientific research and determined that global warming emissions endanger public health and welfare and therefore must be regulated under the CAA. Because the EPA's finding is based on solid science, any effort to prevent or delay the agency from taking action to reduce global warming emissions is a rejection of that science.

The scientific evidence overwhelmingly suggests that climate change poses a clear threat to public health. Numerous scientific studies, including the U.S. Global Change Research Program's 2009 report Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States and the National Academy of Sciences' report America's Climate Choices, show that if heat-trapping emissions continue unabated, global warming is likely to cause more extreme heat in our cities, severe water shortages, loss of species, hazards to coasts from sea level rise, and extreme weather.2,3,4 The economic and social costs of such impacts are potentially calamitous.

The EPA must be allowed to fulfill its responsibilities and take action to regulate global warming emissions under the Clean Air Act. This science-based law has prevented 400,000 premature deaths and hundreds of millions of cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease during the 40 years since it was first passed5—all without diminishing economic growth.

As the EPA ruling now states, global warming regulation will apply only to the biggest sources of these emissions6 (such as large coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, and cement plants7) while exempting small businesses and homeowners. This is a practical, fair, and effective way to target the biggest sources of pollution, which together account for 70 percent of the nation's global warming emissions from stationary sources. By targeting the oldest, dirtiest, and most inefficient power plants, these regulations can help transition our energy system to a cleaner, healthier, and more efficient one without sacrificing reliability or affordability.

Congress should work to pass a comprehensive climate and energy policy based on robust science and economics that will curb global warming, save consumers money, and create jobs. In the meantime, we urge you to oppose attacks on the Clean Air Act by respecting the scientific integrity of the EPA's endangerment finding, and the agency's authority to act based on this finding.

Sincerely,

___

1 Massachusetts v. EPA, 549 U.S. 497 (2007).

2 Thomas R. Karl, T.R., J.M. Melillo, and T.C. Peterson (eds.). 2009. Global climate change impacts in the United States. Cambridge

University Press.

3 National Research Council. 2010. America's climate choices: Panel on advancing the science of climate change. ISBN 0-309-14589-

9.

4 Solomon, S., et al. 2007. Climate change 2007: The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth

Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (AR4). Cambridge University Press.

5 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 1999. The Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act 1990 to 2010. EPA-410-R-99-001. November.

Washington, DC. Online at www.epa.gov/air/sect812/1990-2010/fullrept.pdf.

6 EPA Final Rule: Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule. Online at

http://www.epa.gov/nsr/documents/20100413final.pdf.

7 The regulations will cover new facilities that emit more than 100,000 tons per year on a CO2e basis and existing facilities that

undertake modifications resulting in emissions of more than 75,000 tons per year on a CO2e basis.

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