Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Sierra Club and Clean Air Council Rally Against the TRAIN Act

Public Health, Environmental Organizations Call for an End to Attempts to Gut Environmental Safeguards at Philadelphia Rally

Angered by the passage of the TRAIN Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, major public health advocacy and environmental groups rallied at 5:30 pm on September 27th outside of U.S. Senator Bob Casey’s office to call for an end to right-wing attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In one of the largest environmental rallies in recent years, over 50 activists called on Congress to halt efforts to undermine forty years of public health victories thanks to the EPA and landmark protections like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

Republican Attacks

The Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act (H.R. 2401) is the most dangerous in a recent tide of Republican-sponsored bills that threaten to expose Americans to harmful pollutants in our air and water. Over the last several years, right-wing Republicans in Congress have declared war on the EPA, introducing legislation that would defund the agency, dismantle it or strip it of its authority to safeguard the American public. Major Republican presidential candidates have stated repeatedly that the EPA should be defunded or eliminated, which would gut decades of environmental legislation.

Speakers: Governor Rendell

The activists were joined by former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who urged them to keep raising their voices against far-right Republicans in Congress. “ Regulations don’t hurt jobs---they create them”, he said.

Speakers: William Kramer

“Our representatives voted in favor of this bill and against protecting our families from dangerous and deadly pollution,” said William Kramer, an organizing representative with the Sierra Club. “We need to tell our Congressmen, especially Patrick Meehan, James Gerlach, and Michael Fitzpatrick, that American families want clean air and water that is safe to drink.”

Speakers: Professor Amy Sinden

“We’ve had enough of these attempts to roll back the protections that keep us safe,” said Temple University Professor Amy Sinden. “ This right-wing war on the EPA won't save jobs or help the economy and will instead hurt jobs and damage the economy while at the same time making people sick and damaging our most important natural resources. It’s time to stand up and tell Congress that we want the EPA to continue keeping us safe from polluters.”



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