  
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 8, 2012
Contact: Maggie Kao, 202-675-2384
U.S.
SENATE REJECTS POLLUTER PILE-ON
Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S.
Senate began a series of votes to amend the transportation authorization (S.
1813), a bill that takes positive steps towards modernizing our nation’s
transportation system, reducing our dangerous dependence on oil, relieving the
burden that American families are feeling as gas prices rise and ensuring we
have clean air to breathe and safe water to drink. Unfortunately, the
Senate also took up unrelated amendments to the bipartisan bill, including a
pile-on of anti-environmental amendments.
In
response, Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, issued the
following response:
“The Sierra Club applauds the Senate for soundly
rejecting the bevy of polluter giveaway amendments offered on the Senate
transportation bill today.
“These amendments included attempts to open our
coasts to more disastrous oil drilling, block life-saving protections from
toxic mercury for pre-natal babies and young children, greenlight the dirty and
dangerous Keystone XL pipeline and provide many more giveaways straight from
corporate polluters’ wish lists.
“At a time when gas prices are
climbing to four dollars a gallon, American families need real solutions, not
more giveaways to the polluter lobby. The Senate should focus on creating jobs
and reducing our dependence on oil by repairing our infrastructure and
investing in clean, convenient transportation choices, such as transit, biking
and walking.”
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Sierra Club opposed these key
amendments:
- Vitter #1535 (OCS) – Threatens our
coastal economies and ecosystems from Bristol Bay, Alaska to North Carolina’s
Outer Banks with new offshore drilling.
- Collins #1660 (Boiler MACT) – Blocks
soon-to-be finalized standards that would reduce toxic air pollution, including
mercury, from industrial boilers and guts key provisions of the Clean Air Act.
- Hoeven #1537 (Keystone pipeline) –
Permits the dirty and dangerous Keystone XL pipeline.
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