As the new home of Ohio PIRG's environmental work, Environment Ohio can be contacted regarding this news release.
COLUMBUS—Health
professionals including the American Lung Association, Physicians for
Social Responsibility and health professionals including nurses are
urging state lawmakers to vote against Substitute Senate Bill 265 an
industry-backed bill that was crafted without consultation from the
public health community.
“It
is irresponsible that the proponents of this legislation have not
considered its public health impacts. Our elected officials need more
time to consider the public health threat of this bill,” stated Jason
Chao, M.D., President of Physicians for Social Responsibility of
Northeast, Ohio. “Too many Ohioans already have to breathe unhealthy
levels of toxic pollution from local facilities.”
Dubbed the “Bad Air Bill,” the proposed legislation would:
-
Exempt industrial facilities that emit up to 10 tons a year of lead,
carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds, and
particulate matter from installing the best available pollution
controls;
- Prohibit the Ohio EPA from requiring new asphalt
plants, paint shops, gas stations and other smaller sources of air
pollution to install the best available pollution controls;
- Prohibit the Ohio EPA from ordering a factory to follow any state air
quality monitoring, record-keeping, or reporting standard that is
stronger than federal law;
- Prohibit a state rule, permit, variance, or order from being more
stringent than federal law, if any ambiguity exists as to whether it is
more stringent than required by federal law;
- Give the Ohio EPA until 2008 to adopt and change hundreds of state rules that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Though
officially neutral on the bill, Ohio EPA Director Joe Koncelik admitted
in committee testimony that his agency will not have time to craft
rules for all pollution sources. As such, at least some pollution
sources would be exempted from control.
“We
can not afford for Ohio’s already high levels of fine particulate
matter in our air to increase,” stated Tracy Ross from the American
Lung Association. “Fine particulate matter lodges deep into our lungs
and causes serious health problems including asthma, decreased lung
function, chronic bronchitis, even premature death.”
Bill
opponents are citing the fact that 12 state lawmakers live and breathe
in neighborhoods that rank among the worst 5 percent in the nation for
health risk from industrial air pollution as one reason why lawmakers
should reject the bill.
The
lawmakers—which include seven Democrats and five Republicans—may have
to vote this week on this industry-backed bill that would weaken Ohio’s
air pollution control laws.
According
to U.S. EPA estimates, the 12 lawmakers’ whose neighborhoods rank among
the nation’s worst for health risks from industrial air pollution,
compared to the average for neighborhoods nationwide, are:
Rank – Lawmaker – (D/R-District No.-Hometown) – neighborhood relative to USA avg.
1st State Rep. Jennifer Garrisson (D-93-Marrietta) – 197.2 times the national average
2nd State Rep. Robert Otterman (D-45-Akron) – 157.7 times the national average
3rd State Rep. Randy Law (R-64-Warren) – 76.1 times the national average
4th State Sen. Dale Miller (D-23-Cleveland) – 59.7 times the national average
5th State Rep. Arlene Setzer (R-36-Vandalia) – 40.1 times the national average
6th State Rep. Lorraine Fende (D-62-Willowick) – 39.3 times the national average
7th State Sen. Steve Austria (R-10-Beavercreek) – 33.1 times the national average
8th State Sen. Bob Hagan (D-33-Youngstown) – 30.7 times the national average
9th State Rep. Shirley Smith (D-10-Cleveland) – 26.9 times the national average
10th State Rep. John Williamowski (R-4-Lima) – 21.5 times the national average
11th State Rep. Fred Strahorn (D-40-Dayton) – 21.3 times the national average
12th State Sen. Joy Padgett (R-20-Coshocton) – 20.7 times the national average
All
but 7 of Ohio’s 132 state lawmakers—or 0.5 percent—live in
neighborhoods where the government’s health risk score exceeds the
average for neighborhoods nationwide:
“As
a resident of Summit County and health expert for 20 years, I can
attest to how air pollution threatens the health of our community,”
stated Therese Dowd, Associate Professor, University of Akron School of
Nursing. “Children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to
toxic air pollution. Our elected officials should reject legislation
that rolls back air quality progress.”
Additional Contacts
Tracy Ross, ALA Ohio 614-279-1700
Jason Chao, M.D. 216-368-3886
Theresa Dowd, PH.D 330-972-5924
John Paul, 937-225-5948
Jack Shaner, OEC, 614-487-7506
Ellen Hawkey, Sierra Club, 614-461-0734
