SACE Falsely Listed as Supporter of TRAIN Act
Knoxville, Tenn. (September 23, 2011) – Yesterday The Hill and other news outlets reported that the Republican leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee issued a press release on H.R. 2401, the TRAIN Act, inaccurately listing many groups as supporting the legislation. The committee falsely claimed that more than 100 groups, including the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) “have sent letters to Congress supporting passage” of the bill. Despite the confusion resulting from the press release, SACE continues to strongly oppose the TRAIN Act, as the legislation would delay implementation of two important regulations concerning pollution from power plants.
SACE Executive Director Dr. Stephen A. Smith had the following statement about the TRAIN Act and these inaccurate claims:
“SACE clearly opposes the TRAIN Act. This piece of legislation is designed to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to protect human health through long-needed environmental safeguards. Supporters of this legislation claim the best way to protect jobs is to pollute the environment and endanger public health. Dirty lies are not new to politics, and given the mistruths TRAIN’s backers are spouting about the legislation itself, it is hardly a surprise that they would lie about who supports this legislation. However, SACE finds it inexcusable that our organization’s name would be falsely used in support of this bill.
“The TRAIN Act would delay and destroy EPA safeguards under the guise of evaluating their impact on jobs and the economy. In reality this legislation is simply a tactic to avoid much needed environmental controls, as EPA has extensively studied these regulations for decades. SACE remains in clear opposition to the TRAIN Act, which would do little more than create an environmental and human health train wreck and we urge members of Congress to oppose this legislation as well.” # # #
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that create global warming solutions and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast.www.cleanenergy.org