Senators Klobuchar and Franken Vote to Protect Public Health

Environment Minnesota

To the disappointment of major polluters. Today the U.S. Senate defeated Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s bid to allow more soot and smog-forming pollution from power plants. Sen. Paul’s legislation would have put 193 lives at risk in Minnesota and 34,000 lives at risk across the county each year. Senators Klobuchar and Franken stood up for public health and voted against this dangerous proposal.
 
“Today, the Senate voted to protect Minnesotan’s lives by rejecting more pollution in our air,” said Ken Bradley, Director for Environment Minnesota.

The legislation that was defeated sought to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently finalized Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which requires upwind power plants to reduce soot and smog-forming pollution so people in downwind states can breathe cleaner air. Exposure to soot and smog can lead to asthma, heart attacks, and premature death. The legislation was particularly dangerous because it would have barred EPA from ever implementing a similar standard to reduce harmful power plant emissions that cross state borders.

“Today our Senators stood up for Americans’ health and well-being,” said Ken Bradley. “We applaud Senators Klobuchar and Franken for their votes, and we will be counting on them to continue to vote in favor of clean air and public health in the future.”
 
Link to official Senate vote:  http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm…