Federal legislation to block EPA is shortsighted.

The 112th Congress has not signaled that it is likely to pass meaningful, comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with strong regulations to protect public health. Some elected leaders in U.S. Congress have responded to these forthcoming regulations with short-sighted bills to either delay or strip the EPA of it's authority to regulate greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act.

Some of these bills will increase the amount of mercury, smog-forming, soot, toxic and carbon dioxide pollution that industrial plants will emit compared to if the EPA is allowed to do its job. All of these bills are distractions from the real task before U.S Congress - to address the growing energy and climate crises.

More than 1.15 million Pennsylvanians with asthma, including 260,003 children, face increased health risks if three U.S. House members from Pennsylvania are successful in preventing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from enforcing the Clean Air Act, according to data compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and released with Health Care Without Harm. The lawmakers collectively have received more than $500,000 from polluters, many of which make stopping the EPA a high priority.

Read more about this report here.