Green America Calls on Legislators to Protect the EPA's Authority to Enforce the Clean Air Act

In a letter sent to all members of Congress
today, national nonprofit Green America asked all members of the House
and Senate to oppose efforts to undermine the EPA's authority to enforce
the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions. Writing on behalf of
Green America's 140,000 individual members and 5,000 business members,
Green America Executive Director Alisa Gravitz provided the following
message to all members of the House and Senate.

"As determined by the EPA and upheld by
the U.S. Supreme Court, the Clean Air Act's provisions should be applied
to greenhouse gas emissions. This is also the finding of scientists
under Republican and Democratic Administrations. The EPA's endangerment
finding, based on scientific data, that global warming presents public
health risks requires immediate action. On January 1, 2011 the EPA is
scheduled to begin regulating carbon and this timeline should proceed
without any delay.

Green America's individual members
(representing families in all states), and our business members (mostly
small to mid-size companies) have already taken key steps to reduce
their carbon footprints. Our businesses are dedicated to running their
companies in socially and environmentally responsible ways and these
business leaders recognize that healthy citizens and communities are a
prerequisite for the long-term economic well-being of our country. At
the same time, we know that federal level policy is the only way to
address carbon pollution at the scale required.

While efforts in recent months to weaken
the Clean Air Act have failed, some legislators are again attempting to
undermine the Act. For four decades, the Clean Air Act has played a
central role in protecting air quality, improving public health, and
saving lives. Its next greatest test is arguably the ability to protect
the American people from the hazards posed by carbon emissions. The EPA
has stated that the regulation of carbon will focus on the largest and
dirtiest polluters.

I strongly urge you to vote against any
bills or amendments that weaken or delay the ability of the Clean Air
Act to do its job and regulate carbon emissions."