1.26.2005
Governors Want Clean Air Protections (Yahoo! News--AP)
By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - New York Gov. George Pataki and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites) are pressing Congress to protect key parts of the Clean Air Act as lawmakers and the Bush administration seek to change the law.
The two moderate Republicans on Tuesday urged senators considering updating the act not to reduce the powers states have now to enforce environmental regulations or create tougher state regulations.
The governors, who both place great emphasis on their environmental initiatives, wrote to members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which will hold a hearing Wednesday to consider changes to the Clean Air Act.
Schwarzenegger and Pataki urged lawmakers to preserve the parts of the law allowing states like New York to file lawsuits against out-of-state power plants, or impose pollution controls tougher than federal standards.
The letter reflects ongoing tensions between Washington officials looking to update environmental laws and state capitals worried they will lose some of their enforcement powers.
"One of the cornerstones of the Act is that states do the majority of the work to carry out its mandates," the governors wrote. "The right of individual states to set policy with respect to the health and welfare of their citizens is a fundamental tenet in which we both strongly believe."
(More ... Yahoo! News - Governors Want Clean Air Protections) ¶ 22:09
WASHINGTON - New York Gov. George Pataki and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites) are pressing Congress to protect key parts of the Clean Air Act as lawmakers and the Bush administration seek to change the law.
The two moderate Republicans on Tuesday urged senators considering updating the act not to reduce the powers states have now to enforce environmental regulations or create tougher state regulations.
The governors, who both place great emphasis on their environmental initiatives, wrote to members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which will hold a hearing Wednesday to consider changes to the Clean Air Act.
Schwarzenegger and Pataki urged lawmakers to preserve the parts of the law allowing states like New York to file lawsuits against out-of-state power plants, or impose pollution controls tougher than federal standards.
The letter reflects ongoing tensions between Washington officials looking to update environmental laws and state capitals worried they will lose some of their enforcement powers.
"One of the cornerstones of the Act is that states do the majority of the work to carry out its mandates," the governors wrote. "The right of individual states to set policy with respect to the health and welfare of their citizens is a fundamental tenet in which we both strongly believe."
(More ... Yahoo! News - Governors Want Clean Air Protections) ¶ 22:09
