N.J. Fights Bill to Ease Energy Production Rules

By LINDY WASHBURN, STAFF WRITER

New Jersey’s attorney general joined those of eight other states Thursday in opposing a measure that aims to make it easier for American energy production to return to its pre-Hurricane-Katrina levels.

The House of Representatives is considering the bill, known as the Gasoline for America’s Security (GAS) Act, which was meant to ease rules for oil refineries severely damaged during the recent Gulf Coast hurricanes. But it would also ease rules for aging power plants across the country, according to clean-air advocates.

“If enacted, this bill would be a major setback for air quality across the nation,” said the letter, signed by New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, as well as New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont and Wisconsin.

By weakening rules that require aging coal-burning power plants to install equipment that limits the production of chemicals that cause smog and ozone, the bill would be a setback to public health. These substances contribute to rising rates of asthma and cardiovascular disease.

Also Thursday, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection denounced the measure as “a sneak attack on the environment and an effort to let lawbreaking polluters off the hook.”

“The Bush administration is exploiting the tragedy in Louisiana to resurrect a proposal that would mean more premature deaths, more ER admissions, and more asthma attacks for kids in New Jersey,” Commissioner Brad Campbell said.

Coal-fired power plants in the Midwest and South loft particulate and gases high into the jet stream, where it drifts eastward toward New Jersey. More than one-third of New Jersey’s air pollution is attributed to such power plants.

The letter from the attorneys general, addressed to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, describes the bill as “but another effort to weaken health protection for all Americans in order to benefit the energy industry, rather than a legitimate response to Katrina and Rita.”

It notes that the bill, proposed by Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton, was “inspired by a temporary reduction in refining capacity,” but “permanently weakens the air quality protections.”

After passing the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the measure is to come up for a vote before the full House today.

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E-mail: washburn@northjersey.com