Massachusetts House Delegation Protects Public Health; Votes Against Deadly, Pro-Polluter Bill

News Release, 9/26/2011

Approval of TRAIN Act would mean More Toxic Mercury and Dirty Air in Massachusetts

Boston, MA – Today, Massachusetts House Congressional Delegation stood up to the pro-polluter majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and voted against legislation that exposes Americans to toxic mercury and will increase asthma attacks brought on by smog pollution for millions in the Commonwealth. The so-called TRAIN Act, H.R. 2401, is the most dangerous attack on the Clean Air Act since the law was enacted by President Nixon 40 years ago.

The Massachusetts Chapter of the Sierra Club issued the following statement in response:

"The U.S. House Leadership’s continued, all-out assault on essential clean air protections demonstrates a complete and reckless disregard for Americans' well-being and the things we care most about – our health, our families’ health and air that’s safe to breathe. We applaud the entire Massachusetts House delegation for standing up to this deadly, pro-polluter agenda and voting to protect the health and safety of Massachusetts’ families.

“House Leadership claims that the costs of basic pollution protections, protections that Americans have relied on for 40 years, are too high. But their passage today of the so-called TRAIN Act will cost 139,000 lives. That’s 139,000 people – fathers, mothers, neighbors, friends and children – who could be saved by protections against dangerous pollution and who the majority of the U.S. House has identified as collateral damage for their pro-polluter agenda.

“Sacrificing tens of thousands of American lives will not create more jobs. Allowing corporations to dump toxic pollution into the air our children and our families breathe will not help the economy recover. Burdening the American people with billions of dollars in health bills will not lead to economic growth.

“It’s a relief to know that our representatives in the House understands that a healthy economy begins with healthy people. The Sierra Club thanks President Obama for his vow to veto this bill and we urge Senators Kerry and Brown to join the Massachusetts House delegation and reject the House’s reckless attack on American values and clean air.”

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