Cleaner Air

After eight years of successful industry lobbying to block clean-air legislation in Washington, it is estimated that more than 100 million Americans in 100 cities breathe air considered unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The growing evidence of the clean-air crisis and the burgeoning clean-air citizens’ movement, however, has forced the clean-air issue to the fore. President Bush has introduced clean-air legislation that has a chance of passing. Unfortunately, his bills fall critically short of what we need in order to to put an end to the unnecessary illnesses, premature deaths and environmental damage caused by air pollution each year.

Fortunately, a far better solution has been crafted by a number of legislators. They call for a 50% cut in certain acid gas emissions in order to prevent acid rain. They call for a five-year deadline for most cities to reach the standards for urban smog.

Finally, in order to reduce toxic air pollution, they would require industries to adopt the use of best available pollution control technologies within three to five years and to eliminate cancer-causing air toxins within 10 years.

These bills are the standard by which the President’s bills should be judged. We urge our federal representatives, Jim Bates, Duncan hunter, Bill Lowery, Ron Packard, Pete Wilson and Alan Cranston, to support the strongest possible legislation. We have delayed too long, and the problem is too severe for half measures. We need strong action to stop air pollution in its tracks and roll it back in order to restore the air quality that should be our natural right.

DAVID ADAMS

CalPIRG’s San Diego Campaign Director and 2,635 San Diego residents