Environmental Protection
Commentary
Cry Wolf Quotes
We must all be aware of one very basic fact: all, absolutely all, chemicals are potentially toxic substances….The key, as I have previously stated, is the quantitative level, the concentration at which any chemical substance is present. Thus anything, I repeat anything, present in an excessive amount is a toxic substance. You cannot legislate against every conceivable chemical substance and therefore, the need for a truly meaningful definition for a toxic substance should be evident.
I have a greater concern – the concern for rural America, the concern for suburban America, which is a concern for the communities that you and I come from….It goes too far, Mr. Speaker. It puts a burden on our small business places….Think about the small business people, the nonmanufacturing entities, that all of a sudden are going to be forced into reporting requirements and the cost of doing business that is going to put many of them under.
To expect well over half a million small businesses to adhere to these extensive requirements would be regulatory overkill.
While the states signing on the dotted line will trumpet this proposal, the economic reality ... ought to be a bucket of icy cold New England water. [Now consumers will be] paying even higher prices.
Related Laws and Rules
- American Clean Energy and Security Act
- American Power Act of 2010
- Clean Air Act
- Clean Air Act of 1970
- Clean Air Act of 1977
- Clean Air Act of 1990
- Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
- Clean Water Act
- Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986
- Environmental Protection Agency
- New Jersey Worker and Community Right-To-Know Act
- Philadelphia Worker and Community Right-to-Know Act
Evidence
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Blind Spot: The Big Three's Attack on the Global Warming Treaty
eleased during the controversy over the Kyoto Treaty, this study is a serious policy paper, exploring the intersections between transit policy and global warming. It fairly establishes the Big Three have as long history of stubborn obstructionism. (They don't like anyone telling them what to do.)
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Reducing Carcinogens in Public Schools: A non-regulatory approach by a regulatory agency
Using the New Jersey Right to Know law, advocates were able to find 318 public school districts in their state that used or held a list of 10 known carcinogens, including arsenic, benezene, vinyl chloride, and lead chromate. The study documents how these substances are used and who is exposed to them. The authors then show that the schools disposed of the toxics, or used them all up and did not order replacements.
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EPA: “Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act: Second Prospective Study—1990-2020”
Clean Air Act benefits total more than $2 trillion.
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The Going-Out-Of-Business Myth
OMB Watch debunks the cry wolf claims made against specific regulations, in chart form.
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Jobs vs. The Environment: An Industry-Level Study
Four industries that operate under intense environmental regulatory scrutiny, but haven't lost jobs as a result.
Resources
Political Economy Research Institute is a think tank focused on a variety of subjects such as diverse financial regulation, living wages and environmental protection.
Green for All is a leading environmental oranization focused on creating green jobs for low-income communities and people of color.
The Sierra Club is America’s oldest (founded in 1892), and largest, environmental non-profit.
