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Comment by Norman Mitchell on April 1, 2013 at 9:05am

ealth groups urge Congress to limit air pollution coming into Maine

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By Jackie Farwell, BDN Staff

Posted Feb. 13, 2013, at 6:30 p.m.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Congress must act to address air pollution from out of state that’s sickening too many Maine children and seniors, the American Lung Association charged Wednesday at a State House news conference.

The association announced a “healthy air agenda” that it described as a “four-point blueprint for cleaning up the air,” according to a news release. The announcement followed President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, in which he called on Congress to act to reduce pollution contributing to global climate change.

The lung association spoke on behalf of the Maine Healthy Air Coalition, a group of 55 health organizations that called on Maine’s congressional delegation to limit air pollutants that drift into Maine from elsewhere in the country, according to the release. The coalition urged lawmakers to clean up coal-fired power plants, reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline, set tighter pollution limits on new vehicles, and reject automatic spending cuts triggered by the budget deadlock that the coalition said would hamper efforts to monitor and improve air quality.

“Out-of-state smokestacks and tailpipes have put a bulls-eye on the backs of Maine children and seniors,” Dr. Marguerite Pennoyer, a Portland allergy and immunology physician and board member of the American Lung Association in Maine, said in the release. “Maine’s adult asthma rate is the highest in the nation. But by putting stronger science-based standards in place, many of the health and economic impacts of dangerous air pollution could be prevented.”

About 12 percent of Maine adults have asthma, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State Rep. Dennis Keschl, a Belgrade Republican and former director of Maine’s Bureau of Air Quality Control, announced a joint resolution Wednesday urging Congress to support and fund the federal Clean Air Act and enforce the legislation to reduce air pollution crossing into Maine.

“The reality is, we don’t have to choose between improving public health and helping our economy innovate and grow,” Keschl said in the release. “What the Lung Association has introduced is a simple, common sense path to healthier air. And it will put us another step closer to getting health costs under control – currently the No. 1 concern among Maine businesses.”

The two most widespread air pollutants, ozone and particle pollution, can lead to serious health problems, according to the American Lung Association. Particle pollution, which is emitted from car tailpipes and smokestacks, can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes and exacerbate respiratory and heart problems.

“I can tell you firsthand how much asthma affects your life, limits your activities, and leaves you feeling vulnerable on days when the air quality is bad,” Mary Trescot of Newcastle said in the release. “It’s no way to live as an adult, and it’s certainly no way for kids to grow up.”

Comment by Norman Mitchell on April 1, 2013 at 9:03am

 

85 percent of Maine’s air pollution come from elsewhere

Maine attorney general says that federal government falls working with state to protect environment

By Danielle Smith

Posted on Feb. 28, 2008, at 12:00 a.m.

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Maine Attorney General G. Steven Rowe visited the University of Maine on Feb. 26 as part of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center Distinguished Maine Policy Fellow Program.

In his opening statement, Rowe cited Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to represent the importance of the Clean Air Act.

“If you can’t breathe, you don’t care if you’re hungry or not, and if you are hungry you don’t care about what is playing at the movies that week,” he said.

Rowe spoke of Maine’s involvement in environmental issues, including documented court cases in which the state sued the Federal government.

“Maine has its own problems, but 85 percent of the pollutants in the air in Maine come from other parts of the United States,” Rowe said. Coal plants around the country produce 70 percent of sulfur emissions and 30 percent of nitrogen emissions nationwide.

According to the American Lung Association of Maine, 130,000 people in the state have asthma; 30,000 of those cases are children and it is possible that 50 percent of people have undiagnosed cases of asthma. In the past 30 years, the rate of asthma in Maine has doubled.

Coal-fired plants across the country release sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate-matter pollutants into the air. Mercury, a dangerous neurotoxin that interferes with the development and function of the central nervous system, is one of the many particulate pollutants released.

Rowe continued the lecture discussing several cases in which his office and the U.S. Justice Department deemed it necessary to sue the Federal government in order to secure that national environment laws were being enforced.

In 1999, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit to cover emission control in plants that intended to expand in the South and Midwest. Until that time, when a new plant wanted to expand their operations it needed to file a permit with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“The EPA made it clear that it wasn’t demanding that the owners of these plants shut down,” Rowe said. “It was just demanding that they install this pollution control technology, and reduce the emissions of the harmful pollutants.”

However, older plants grandfathered in the system were exempt from obtaining permits and many plant owners were taking advantage of this loophole in the law and expanding production and emissions.

“Maine joined, because we are at the end of our nations ‘tailpipe,’” Rowe said. “We can’t build a wall around our state to protect us.”

Maine involvement in environmental issues began under the leadership of Sen. Edmund Muskie. In 1970 Muskie founded the Clean Air Act, which gave the EPA authority to limit emissions of air pollutants coming from sources like chemical plants, utilities and steel mills.

State and federal governments work together to enforce the Clean Air Act. The act recognizes that it makes sense for states to take the lead, as such states must develop their own State Implementation Plans.

According to Rowe, “These S.I.P.s explain how each state will meet its obligations under the Clean Air Act.” States must file these with the EPA for approval. If disapproved, the EPA will enforce the state laws; if approved, the state is responsible for enforcement.

According to Rowe, the situations discussed during the lecture are merely a snapshot of some of these cases.

“You can see what we’re up against, and the federal government has not been a big friend in protecting American citizens. I don’t like suing the federal government. I like working with the government,” Rowe said.

Rowe ended the lecture by imploring the young people to educate themselves, to participate and to move to increase our energy efficiency with alternative modes of capturing energy.

“We live in the most beautiful state there is, but if you think we have clean air, you’re wrong.”

Rowe is Maine’s fifty-fourth attorney general and holds a law degree from the University of Maine’s School of Law, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Utah, and a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through theRSS feed.

Comment by Norman Mitchell on April 1, 2013 at 8:04am

 the tax credits will expire at the end of the year  ........  

Comment by Norman Mitchell on April 1, 2013 at 7:58am

Lies Lies and more lies  This power is not for Maine  /// In their Application "The Canton Mountain Wind Project proposed by Canton Mountain Wind, LLC (CMW) will 
provide tangible benefits consistent with State Law to both the State of Maine and the host community of 
Canton, Maine. This clean, green, renewable energy generating resource will power Maine and the 
region’s homes and businesses by employing our natural resources and without polluting the air and 
water. " well then why did Tom Carroll say this in the Bangor Daly news ? " Tom Carroll, project coordinator with Patriot Renewables LLC, which is building wind farms in Dixfield, Woodstock and Carthage, said technically, the electricity his projects are creating is being sold to an entity in Massachusetts."

Comment by Norman Mitchell on March 31, 2013 at 10:44pm

I sent the law school an email lets see what they say 

Comment by Norman Mitchell on March 31, 2013 at 10:38pm

http://mainelaw.maine.edu/ who would you sugest I send an email to ?? 

Comment by Norman Mitchell on March 31, 2013 at 3:09pm

omment by Norman Mitchell 4 minutes ago

Delete Comment

Ive played with courts before its nice to think like you , but there is no justice for the poor it takes money now if we were to get a fund going and take up a collection to hire a lawyer we might have something I posted this to alert people  so people will we band together and stop this or not ? 

Comment by Norman Mitchell on March 29, 2013 at 6:50pm

There was no health risk  look at the  states own info  bit there  is a health risk with the wind turbines !!!!! 

Comment by Norman Mitchell on March 29, 2013 at 10:34am

Comment by Norman Mitchell on March 29, 2013 at 10:26am

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