Politics in Action: S.J. Res. 27 and S.J. Res. 6

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

S.J.Res. 27 – Disapproving EPA's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule

(Sen. Paul, R-KY, and 2 co-sponsors)

The Administration strongly opposes S.J.Res. 27, which would overturn a core Clean Air Act (CAA) rule that limits pollution that travels long distances and contributes to soot and smog in downwind States. By blocking this rule, S.J. Res 27 would cause substantial harm to public health and undermine our Nation's longstanding commitment to clean up pollution from power plants.

Since it was enacted in 1970 and amended in 1977 and 1990, each time with strong bipartisan support, the CAA has improved the Nation's air quality and protected public health. Over that same period of time, the economy has grown over 200 percent while emissions of key pollutants have decreased more than 60 percent. Forty years of clean air regulation has shown that a strong economy and strong environmental and public health protection go hand-in-hand.

S.J.Res. 27 would undermine this progress by blocking the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), which would reduce harmful air pollution from power plants that threatens the health of downwind communities, especially the health of children, seniors, and other vulnerable populations.

The CSAPR responds to a 2008 court decision directing EPA to replace the prior Administration's rule with a new rule to address the transport of air pollution across State boundaries. Each year, this rule would avoid tens of thousands of premature deaths, prevent more than ten thousand heart attacks and hospital visits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and alleviate hundreds of thousands of childhood asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that this flexible, commonsense rule will yield hundreds of billions of dollars in net benefits each year. S.J.Res. 27 would overturn this rule, jeopardize these public health and economic benefits, and perpetuate uncertainty for businesses, freezing investments in clean technologies.

If the President is presented with S.J.Res. 27, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the resolution.

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

S.J. Res. 6 – Disapproval of Federal Communications Commission Rule

Regulating the Internet and Broadband Industry Practices

(Sen. Hutchison, R-Texas, and 42 co-sponsors)

The Administration strongly opposes Senate passage of S.J. Res. 6, which would undermine a fundamental part of the Nation’s Open Internet and innovation strategy – an enforceable, effective but flexible policy for keeping the Internet free and open. Today more than ever, the open Internet is essential to job creation, economic growth, and global competitiveness.

The United States leads the world in the development of new Internet-based services and applications. An important element of this leadership is that the open Internet enables entrepreneurs to create new services without fear of undue discrimination by network providers. Federal policy has consistently promoted an Internet that is open and facilitates innovation and investment, protects consumer choice, and enables free speech.

The rule at issue resulted from a process that brought together parties on all sides of this issue – from consumer groups to technology companies to broadband providers – to enable their voices to be heard. Notably, the Federal Communications Commission’s rule reflected a constructive effort to build a consensus around what safeguards and protections were reasonable and necessary to ensure that the Internet continues to attract investment and to spur innovation.

Disapproval of the rule would threaten those values and cast uncertainty over those innovative new businesses that are a critical part of the Nation’s economic recovery. It would be ill-advised to threaten the very foundations of innovation in the Internet economy and the democratic spirit that has made the Internet a force for social progress around the world.

If the President is presented with S.J. Res. 6, which would not safeguard the free and open Internet, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the Resolution.

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