Congressman Dennis Rehberg Consistently Voting to Strip Public Health Protections

MONTANA – In September, Congressman Dennis Rehberg helped the U.S. House pass the TRAIN Act (HR 2401) – reckless legislation that delays two critical clean air safeguards for reducing toxic air pollution from power plants.    Called the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard and the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, these measures would save lives in Montana.

Since this lethal legislation passed, Congressman Rehberg has voted twice more to strip clean air safeguards, endangering the health and well-being of Montana families. These bills, the “EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011″ (H.R. 2250) and the “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011” (H.R. 2681) would block long overdue safeguards under the Clean Air Act that restrict toxic emissions from America’s incinerators, boilers and cement plants. If enacted, these two bills will result in up to 32,500 premature deaths, 19,500 heart attacks and more than 200,000 asthma attacks.

“Congressman Rehberg should be pushing for the strongest possible pollution standards to protect Montana families, not standing in their way, ” said Theresa Keaveny, Executive Director of Montana Conservation Voters.  “Endangering the health of Montana families will not create jobs, nor will poisoning the air we breathe jumpstart the economy.  Yet Congressman Rehberg has consistently voted to block the EPA’s efforts to protect Americans from dangerous air pollution like mercury, arsenic, and lead,” she said.

For more information on these and other pieces of lethal legislation being considered in Congress to block the EPA from protecting the air we breathe and water we drink, check out http://www.dirtysecrets.org/hr-2250-hr-2681/