Senate Votes to Protect Public Health

Environment America

Washington, D.C. – To the disappointment of major polluters, today the U.S. Senate defeated Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s bid, in a vote of 56 to 41, to allow more soot and smog-forming pollution from power plants (SJ Res 27). Sen. Paul’s legislation would have put up to 34,000 American lives at risk every year.

“Today, the Senate voted to protect American lives by rejecting more pollution in our air,” said Lauren Randall, Clean Air Associate for Environment America. “Americans can feel proud that the Senate sided with families over polluters by rejecting this sweeping assault on our health.”

The defeated legislation sought to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently finalized Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which requires upwind power plants to reduce soot and smog-forming pollution so people in downwind states can breathe cleaner air. Exposure to soot and smog can lead to asthma, heart attacks, and premature death. The legislation was particularly dangerous because it would have barred EPA from ever implementing a similar standard to reduce harmful power plant emissions that cross state borders.

“Today these Senators stood up for Americans’ health and well-being,” said Randall. “We applaud the Senate for this vote, and we will be counting on them to continue to vote in favor of clean air and public health in the future.”