When President Bush chose one of the nation's largest, and dirtiest, coal-burning power plants as the place to defend his relaxed clean air regulations, the backdrop belied his words. "It makes sense to change these regulations," Bush said. "It makes sense for the workplace environment, it makes sense for the protection of our air."
Except, it doesn't make sense if the goal is to protect human health and the environment. The Monroe, Mich., plant's smokestacks poured out more than 100,000 tons of soot and 1,000 pounds of mercury last year. Under the president's relaxed regulations, the amount of pollution would not necessarily have to be reduced and, in fact, could increase.
The White House has orchestrated a couple of major retreats from standards set under the Clear Air Act. First, the Environmental Protection Agency reversed a rule that forced older, coal-burning power plants to add pollution controls if they made major modifications that increased emissions. Under the old rule, the worst polluters eventually would have had to modernize. Under the Bush administration rewrite, however, a plant would be able to rebuild over a period of years without adding pollution controls.
Then the president introduced his Clear Skies initiative, which is awaiting Congressional action. Rather than enforce clean air regulations that already exist, the initiative would delay and weaken them. Under the misnamed Clear Skies, some of the most polluted places in the nation could remain dirty because power companies would be able to buy "pollution credits" to delay emissions cleanup.
Bush's visit to the Monroe plant was filled with the symbolic gestures of a campaign stop, a hard-hat photo opportunity, giant American flag and reference to job creation. Michigan is an important state in the president's re-election bid. But there was little comfort for residents of the state, whose lakes are poisoned with mercury and air fouled by soot.
A reliable energy supply and clean air are not mutually exclusive. The president chose the right setting, a smoke belching power plant. He just delivered the wrong message.
