Kalamazoo – Dozens of Rep. Fred Upton’s (R-MI) constituents today urged him to protect their health rather than side with the Tea Party and big polluters who are seeking to block new protections against pollutions and rollback existing clean air safeguards.
In an ad in the Kalamazoo Gazette, Rep Upton’s constituents called on him to “think of Michigan’s families and not paid special interests.’’ The ad can be found online here.
Since becoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Upton and his staff have been working behind closed doors with energy industry lobbyists to block EPA experts from carrying out their science-based work. For example, proposed legislation by Rep. Upton would strip away Clean Air Act protections that safeguard Americans and their families from air pollution that puts their lives at risk.
The following is a statement by Heather Taylor-Miesle, Director at the NRDC Action Fund, which organized and placed this advertisement:
”Rep. Upton’s actions pose a grave threat to the health and well-being of the people of Southwest Michigan, especially children, elderly and others suffering from asthma and other respiratory illnesses. We know that Upton’s actions are not supported by the vast majority of his constituents, two thirds of whom oppose his efforts against the EPA. Today’s ad is the first of many efforts to insure that Rep. Upton’s constituents know exactly what he is doing in their name.”
The NRDC Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that works in communities across the country to safeguard public health by protecting the environment. The NRDC Action Fund is an affiliated but separate organization from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
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