Failure of Bush Administration's Clear Skies Initiative Activates Regulations to Weaken Environmental Enforcement

Interview with John Walke, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's clean air program, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

In 2002, the Bush administration introduced their so-called "Clear Skies Initiative," which would have re-written the bedrock Clean Air Act passed more than 30 years ago. The legislation, which Washington observers say was written by industry, would have tilted the law to favor polluters and away from protecting public health by reducing toxic emissions as quickly as possible. The bill also would have done nothing to regulate greenhouse gasses, a major cause of global warming.

But after three years of trying, the Republican-controlled Congress has been unable to get the bill out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where it died recently on a 9 to 9 vote. But the administration immediately activated regulations that implement many of the same things to weaken enforcement that the failed legislation was designed to do.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with John Walke, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's clean air program about these regulations, one of which regulates interstate air pollution, and another that deals with extremely toxic mercury emissions, that Walke warns are especially harmful.

For more information, call the Natural Resources Defense Council at (202) 289-6868 or visit their website at www.nrdc.org

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

www.btlonline.org
*
"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe (at) lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe (at) lists.riseup.net
*
betweenthelines (at) snet.net
*
www.squeakywheel.net/
*
Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions
©2005 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.