Oct. 12 US: House votes to delay controls on toxic pollution

From: The Modesto Bee

The Republican-controlled House passed the first of two bills [last] Thursday to delay rules to cut toxic air pollution and mercury from cement plants, solid waste incinerators and industrial boilers.

The first bill, which the House passed by a 262-161 vote, would force the EPA to rewrite regulations designed to reduce pollution at about 150 cement plants nationwide. The measure also would extend by years the time that companies have to comply with the new regulations.

The House plans to vote Tuesday on legislation to force the EPA to revise regulations aimed at curbing hazardous pollution, including mercury, from industrial boilers. That legislation is also expected to pass.

The two bills, along with one passed last week by the House, postpone for years pollution controls on toxic mercury emissions from the nation’s three largest sources – coal-fired power plants, cement kilns, and industrial boilers. Mercury, a toxic metal, is a potent neurotoxin that can cause brain damage in children, even as they develop in the womb.

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