From Appalachian Voices' statement:
Appalachian Voices would like to thank Congressman Heath Shuler for voting against H.R. 2273, the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act, a bill that does nothing to protect our communities from the dangers of toxic coal ash.
Coal ash is the abundant and dangerous waste left over after coal is burned. Despite the fact that is known to have a wide range of contaminants, including heavy metals, coal ash has never been subject to federal protections, and state laws governing disposal are usually weak or non-existent.
Though we are disappointed that H.R. 2273 did pass the floor of the House of Representatives today with a vote count of 267 to 144, we are extremely pleased that Congressman Shuler did the right thing and put public safety and health first.
H.R. 2273 does not provide any true safeguards against the danger of coal ash and subverts the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s public rule-making process already in progress. More than 450,000 Americans have commented on EPA proposals to address coal ash pollution and dam safety — H.R. 2273 essentially drowns out their voices.
From the threat of dam breaches, such as the disaster that occurred almost three years ago in Harriman, Tenn., to health concerns from air and water pollution, coal ash presents very real dangers to hundreds of thousands of Americans. Heath Shuler has stood up for communities who live near the French Broad River, where two high-hazard coal ash dams have been shown to leak heavy metals and other pollutants into groundwater.
Once again, we thank Heath Shuler for standing up for the health and safety of his constituents and communities who live near dangerous coal ash dams.
Sandra Diaz
NC Campaign Coordinator
Appalachian Voices
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It has been nice having an environmentally progresseive congressman. Unfortunately starting next year Patrick Tea Party McHenry will be Asheville's representative. His record on the environment is worse than that tree destroying monster in Fern Gully.
By Bert
10/15/2011
These environmental meansures from Shuler at best maintain the remaing environmental policies. Shuler is not what WNC folks and the rest of America need right now:
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2011/10/14/house-passes-h-r-358-the-let-women-die-act-of-2011/
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20111010/OPINION02/111007018/American-History-101-Words-power
Considering Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx and Sue Myrick are the majority of the other representatives for WNC--and lump in Charles Taylor from the past--we have extreme examples of the worst of the worst politicians here. So when an environmental group thanks a j#*k a@# like Shuler, they really drag down their creditability because they don't put their environmental agendas in context with the rest of the relevant 21st century challenges to our civilization.
I'm an environmentalist, but I can juggle a few other system concepts as well. Broadening out agendas may seem like risking watering down focus in any one area. But by co-opting management science for public purposes we can match the threats.
By Viking
10/15/2011