Two weeks ago, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for completely abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency.
And just last week, Republican leaders in the House took a big step toward making Gingrich’s plan to eliminate the EPA a reality by slashing funding for environmental and public health safeguards in their proposed budget measure. Their call for a 30 percent cut to the EPA’s budget – the largest cut in 30 years – would jeopardize the water we drink and air we breathe, endangering the health and well-being of all Americans.
In addition to these draconian cuts, the House proposed funding measure also includes sneak attacks on our bedrock environmental laws. It would prevent the EPA from closing loopholes in the Clean Water Act that would jeopardize the drinking water for 117 million Americans. Additionally, the plan would prevent the EPA from enforcing commonsense safeguards in the Clean Air Act that curb harmful carbon pollution and hold corporate polluters accountable.
We cannot allow Dirty Coal and Big Oil – and their allies in Congress – to dismantle the EPA.