Late yesterday, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) released a draft of their House bill to block all federal controls on carbon dioxide pollution.

The following statement is from Earthjustice associate legislative counsel Stephanie Maddin:

“Like some other bills we have seen this week and in previous weeks, this bill is another Dirty Air Act intended to give the nation’s biggest polluters a way out of installing modern and available technology to control their harmful carbon dioxide pollution.

“All the science we have shows that carbon dioxide pollution is a danger to public health and welfare in America. By introducing a bill that reverses important air pollution protections already on the books, namely the Clean Air Act, and authorities sanctioned by the U.S. Supreme Court, Reps. Upton and Whitfield and Sen. Inhofe are going against the good of the American public.

“With this bill draft, Reps. Upton and Whitfield and Sen. Inhofe are now among the ranks of Congress members who are acting in their own political interest instead of the best interest of the public. They are putting political posturing above science and health. While it’s disappointing to see this, we are encouraged by the numerous members of Congress standing up firmly for these crucial air pollution controls. Just as there are those in Congress who are doing the bidding of polluter industries and special interest groups, there many others who are looking out for our health and well-being. We urge every member of Congress, in both houses, to do the right thing by standing up for these protections and controls on harmful air pollution and supporting legislation that moves our country forward, not backward.”