Votes to Block Mercury, Smog Protections Expose More Pennsylvania Families to Dangerous Pollution
***VIEW THE AD HERE***
PENNSYLVANIA – Today, the League of Conservation Voters and NRDC Action Fund launched a new television ad in Pennsylvania’s 4th district blasting Representative Jason Altmire for voting to repeal important health safeguards under the Clean Air Act and delay or weaken others. The television ad will run on broadcast and cable in the Pittsburgh media market.
“Endangering the health of Pennsylvania families will not create jobs nor will poisoning the air we breathe jumpstart the economy, yet Congressman Altmire has continually voted for toxic legislation that would block the EPA’s efforts to protect Americans from dangerous air pollution like mercury, smog, and soot,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “Congressman Altmire should stop siding with corporate polluters and start standing up for the men, women and children of Pennsylvania whose health he is jeopardizing with each of these votes.”
Rep. Altmire has voted repeatedly to block the EPA from protecting public health and Pennsylvania families from dangerous mercury pollution and smog. (HR2250, House Vote 791, 10/13/11; HR2681, House Vote 764, 10/6/11; HR2401, House Vote 741, 9/23/11; HR1, House Vote 86, 2/17/11).
“Representative Altmire’s votes tear down the healthy air safeguards needed to protect families, especially kids and pregnant mothers, from dangerous, life-threatening air pollution,” said NRDC Action Fund Director Heather Taylor-Miesle. “There are nearly 25,000 asthmatic kids in Allegheny County alone who would have benefitted from the cleaner air that Representative Altmire is blocking. We think they need protecting a lot more than polluters do.”
The television ad focuses on Rep. Altmire’s votes to put women and children at risk in Pennsylvania by blocking mercury pollution protections. With several more attacks on healthy air expected in the U.S. House, including likely upcoming votes on bills which would block pollution safeguards from new power plants and indefinitely delay new protections, the ad urges Rep. Altmire’s constituents to contact him to tell him to vote the right way on these critical public health issues.
Two other members of the Pennsylvania delegation, Representatives Tim Holden (PA-17) and Lou Barletta (PA-11) were the subject of television ads in October for their dirty air votes.
While largely supporting the ongoing pro-polluter agenda in the U.S. House, Rep. Altmire has received almost $400,000 in campaign contributions from dirty energy interests over the course of his career. [Center for Responsive Politics]
View the ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5BO9fZGawc
