Follow Clean Air Act

The Valley Air District has developed a five-point proposal to weaken the federal Clean Air Act.

For over 40 years, the Clean Air Act has reduced air pollution and the risk of its harmful effects. Last week, void of a transparent public process, the district developed the proposal and traveled to Washington, D.C., to push its legislative platform. The proposal seeks to eliminate minimum requirements under the Clean Air Act and suggests giving the air district the authority to determine its own path to clean air.

If the goal is clean air, the district needs to focus on meeting the requirements of the Clean Air Act. These amendments would make things easier for polluters, but won’t give us clean air. This air district spends so much energy looking for loopholes and scapegoats, pollution from China, the drought and now the Clean Air Act. It’s time the air district focus on what it can do right here in the Valley. We deserve to breathe clean air.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Follow Clean Air Act."