There are certain things many of us take for granted. We turn on the faucet and expect drinkable water. We take a deep breath and expect toxin-free air. We go to the beach and expect pollution-free waves. At a minimum, we expect to be able to live and raise our children in an environment that doesn’t threaten our health.
But these standards haven’t always existed. For years, Americans trusted the cleanliness of our air and water to the self-regulation of companies focused on their bottom line.
That changed in 1970 when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created. Since then, the agency has worked to protect our country from pollution and dangerous contaminants. According to a recent EPA study, the Clean Air Act during the past 20 years has prevented more than 160,000 cases of early death, 130,000 heart attacks, 1.7 million asthma attacks – and estimates suggest it will save millions of lives moving forward as well.
Now, a series of Republican budget cuts could take us back to the days before the EPA. These national staples of clean air and water, are now under attack.
Republicans’ current budget plan would undermine public health by slicing the EPA’s budget by 30 percent and slashing funding for safeguards like the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act.
The L.A. Times reports that the impact of Republicans’ bill would be widespread:
ars the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions and from implementing new water pollution limits in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and in Florida.
The bill stops the agency from enforcing new limits on toxic emissions, such as mercury, from cement plants and from updating air pollution standards on dust and other coarse particulate matter that exacerbate asthma and lung ailments.
According to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the Clean Water Act continues to have tremendous impact:
In 2010 alone, protections in the Clean Air Act prevented 160,000 premature deaths and 170,000 hospital visits. Cleaner air has meant trillions of dollars in benefits to our nation – not only through fewer medical bills, but by keeping our kids in school and our workers on the job. The Clean Air Act has also helped create jobs. As of 2008 the environmental technology industry – which develops, manufactures and maintains the tools that help keep our air clean – employed more than 1.7 million Americans.
Americans rely on the EPA to protect our air, water, and environment. As the budget debate wages on, it has become clear that Republicans are executing a political agenda that threatens programs and safeguards they believe are valued by their opponents. And, Republicans are right. Democrats do stand for clean air and clean water.
President Obama is committed to finding sensible cuts that help us live within our means while still making targeted investments that spur growth. However, the Republican plan makes reckless cuts to critical programs and would cost nearly a million jobs, and the President has made clear that he cannot support a bill that would harm our economy.
Click here to learn more about the consequences of Republican cuts.