Bobby Rush

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, while gas prices have subsided over the past few months, Americans are still very concerned about the issue of jobs and high unemployment. In my district and in the African American community in general, joblessness is far higher than the national average with some communities experiencing unemployment rates of up to 60 percent. Yet even with these staggering figures, we are here today debating a bill that will do absolutely nothing to address this critical issue that the American people are facing. Nada, zip, zero will it do. Mr. Chairman, the House will only be in session a little over 20 more days before we recess in August; and after that, this House will barely be in session until after the November elections. During this limited time, we should be focusing our attention on legislation that will create jobs and move America forward towards a smarter energy future that is less vulnerable to the whims of the world's oil market. However, there is nothing in this bill, H.R. 4480, that will do anything to address the issues most important to the American people. Neither jobs nor gas prices are dealt with in this bill. Mr. Chairman, my amendment, the amendment that I'm offering today, gets right to the heart of the matter and simply states that: Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the administrator of the Energy Information Administration shall make a determination as to whether implementation of this Act is projected to lower gasoline prices or create jobs within the United States within 10 years. That's what my amendment says--clearly, simply, concisely. However, if the administrator of the EIA determines that implementation of this act is not projected to lower prices or create jobs in 10 years, then the most egregious provisions of this bill, sections 205 and 206, which attack existing Clean Air Act protections, will sunset and cease to be in effect. Mr. Chairman, provisions in this bill, such as title II, the Gasoline Regulations Act, use the backdrop of high unemployment and fluctuating gas prices as a ruse to once again attack the EPA and the Clean Air Act, without doing a single thing to actually reduce the cost that Americans are paying at the pump or to deliver more jobs to the American people. Mr. Chairman, Congress should not remove long-standing Clean Air Act requirements for EPA to set ambient air quality standards at the level necessary to protect human health. Nor should the majority attempt to block and delay several EPA air quality and public health provisions under the guise of falsely claiming that these attacks on EPA will actually create jobs or reduce gas prices. Time and time again over the past year and a half, this Congress, under the majority party's leadership, has voted to roll back provisions of the Clean Air Act. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for the Rush amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSH. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. RUSH. I am so glad you used the story and told the story of your neighbor, because your neighbor is not unlike my neighbors. They're suffering from unemployment; they're suffering from high gas prices. But what confuses me and what's gotten me astounded is the fact that in this bill, your neighbor, her problems, my neighbor's problems, the problems of all the Members of this body, all of our neighbors' problems, our problems aren't addressed. All I'm asking for is that if the EIA--a fairly knowledgeable agency, an agency that is respected--if they determine after looking at the provisions of this bill and say that this bill will not create one job, this bill doesn't address rising gasoline prices----

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. I want to thank the ranking member of the full committee for recognizing me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this motion to instruct. A mandatory approval of the Keystone XL pipeline does not belong in our transportation bill. This provision jeopardizes the entire transportation bill and all of the American jobs that the transportation bill will provide and produce. The southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline from Oklahoma to the gulf is already moving forward with the President's support, but the northern portion does not yet have a final route through the State of Nebraska. President Obama has made it clear that he will not short- circuit the normal approval process and deprive the American people of their opportunity, their right, to have input just to benefit a foreign company and foreign interests. As it stands now, it is very unclear if this project would benefit the hard-pressed communities of this Nation, such as the one that I represent, with jobs and contracts and other economic opportunities that we have been hearing so much about and that has been bandied about by the proponents of this pipeline. We desperately need jobs and contracts and economic opportunity, but we have no guarantees that this XL pipeline will produce the same. So, regardless of whether you believe this pipeline should be built or not, including the Keystone XL pipeline approval--mandatory approval, I might add--in the transportation bill, which the President already promised he will veto, it may not necessarily further the pipeline, but it may doom the same. It may doom the entire transportation bill. If you care about American jobs, then the number one priority should be to pass the transportation bill all by itself. Pass the transportation bill to create and preserve American jobs for the American people. Don't burden the jobs-producing transportation bill with extraneous gimmicks and extraneous gestures. The passage of this motion to instruct conferees will be a stumbling stone for Keystone.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and legacy of my friend and brother beloved, Deacon Lamoune Carlos Glover who made his heavenly transition on Tuesday, May 8, 2012. Deacon Glover was born April 23, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois to the late Robert and Lorraine Glover. A product of the Chicago Public Schools system, Lamoune attended Mollison Elementary School and Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable High School, and later went on to attain an Associate Degree in Applied Science. Lamoune's love for Christ started at an early age. At 6, his ``play mother'' May Turner took him to church. Lamoune was baptized at the age of twelve at the Gospel Temple Church, under the leadership of Pastor Warren L. Turner. There, he served as a member of the usher board and in the youth ministry. Later in his journey, Lamoune began attending the Beloved Community Christian Church where I am privileged to serve as pastor and teacher. In 2002, Lamoune experiencing the transformative power of Jesus Christ and being led by the Holy Spirit re-dedicated his life to Christ. At Beloved, he served as a trustee, church steward and member of the Men's ministry. In July 2003, Lamoune met his ``better half'' Joyce Lemon. After a loving three-year courtship, Lamoune and Joyce married on August 19, 2006. To this union, one beautiful, daughter was born, Ahrmani Glover. In 2011, after nine years of devoted Christian service, I installed Bro. Lemoune as Deacon of the Beloved Community Christian Church. It was one of his proudest moments, for no matter what life threw Lamoune's way, he always somehow knew that with God, he would be ``okay''. Mr. Speaker, in the Exodus story, as Israel did battle with the Amalekites, Moses stood on a hill with the staff of God in his hands, whenever Moses raised his hands Israel prevailed. When Moses hands grew tired so that he was forced to lower them, Israel suffered in battle, but Aaron and Hur, Moses' armor bearers, held Moses' hands up and Joshua and Israel defeated Amalek. Lemoune was such an armor bearer. Deacon Lamoune Carlos Glover's life has been seen through the lenses of personal sacrifice, love, reconciliation, and perseverance. My sincerest thoughts and prayers are extended to his loving wife, Joyce, his children Otisha Pitts, Jakwon Webb and Ahrmani, grandchild Javion Goss, brothers, Robert Glover and Marvin Harvey, sister Bernadette Glover, his Beloved Community Christian Church family, and host of other family and friends. I am privileged to enter these words in the Congressional Record of the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. What is good. What does the Lord require of you? To do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. In the New Testament, Luke 4:18 20 teaches us these words: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners----

Mr. RUSH. These words: He has shown you, O man----

Mr. RUSH. And to recover sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free. I urge all who hear these words to heed these lessons.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, the death of Trayvon Martin is, indeed, an American tragedy. Too often this violent act that resulted in the murder of Trayvon Martin is repeated in the streets of our Nation. I applaud the young people all across the land who are making a statement about hoodies, about the real hoodlums in this Nation, particularly those who tread on our laws wearing official or quasi- official clothes. Racial profiling has to stop, Mr. Speaker. Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum. The Bible teaches us, Mr. Speaker, in the book of Micah 6:68----

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, in the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1 2, these words are recorded: To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose, and to everything under the sun, a time to be mourned and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted. Madam Speaker, today a giant oak tree has fallen. There's a gaping hole in the forest. Don Payne has moved from an earthly life into an eternal heavenly life. A time, a purpose, a season. Don Payne did not take his time, his season, nor his purpose for granted. Every moment, every season, the purpose for which he was created meant something to him and he gave his life. He spent his life working on his time, his season, and his purpose. Last Thursday, Don, through his chief of staff, asked me to come to the hospital; and we talked for awhile and he whispered some words to me, some directions for me, some orders from his hospital bed. But what stands out to me on that occasion last Thursday was his last words spoken to me. We were in the middle of votes, and he said: Make those votes. Don't miss those votes. Here, a man who knew he was spending his last hours on this Earth, he knew that his life was coming to an end. He had told me some weeks before that he had pancreatic cancer and he didn't know what was going to happen, but his last words to me were not ``Woe is me,'' but he was thinking about public service. He was thinking about this House. He was thinking about me and the vote that I was to cast. He was thinking about a time and a purpose and a season. In the book of Micah, life really becomes quite simple. God asked the Prophet Micah: What do I require of thee, O man, but to love mercy and do justice and walk humbly before your God. Madam Speaker, I know that Don passed God's requirement. He lived his life with purpose. He was a son of Africa, but he was also a servant of Africa and a servant of the world. We're all going to miss Don. We all looked to Don being a beacon in terms of public service. I will miss him, and my condolences go out to his entire family and his entire staff. I might add that just this morning my staff and I went to his office, as others have. We sang a song together, ``Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross.'' Don not only had the cross in mind, but now he sits in his heavenly home in a better place. God bless you, Don. God bless you.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. RUSH. I want to thank the ranking member for this time, and I thank him for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Chairman, I find it remarkable that we are here today debating a bill that is essentially a regulatory earmark for just one company, and that company is called TransCanada. And we're here debating whether to build a pipeline through the heart of our country without even allowing the appropriate State and Federal agencies to completely conduct their due diligence and their oversight responsibility. Mr. Chairman, this legislative gift wrapped in fine gift-wrapping to TransCanada on behalf of my Republican colleagues will completely circumvent the State Department and the other State and Federal agencies, those agencies that have the know-how and the expertise, to thoroughly examine this process, and Mr. Chairman, they will require that FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, issue a permit for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline within 30 days of the receipt of the application. If FERC does not act on the permit application within the meager 30 days, the permit shall be considered approved automatically. Mr. Chairman, how insane can insanity get? How ridiculous can ridiculous be when we are telling an agency that if they don't pass this permit within 30 days, if they don't do all their investigations within 30 days, then this permit will automatically be approved? Mr. Chairman, the Keystone XL project is too big, too consequential, too important to the American people for this Congress to completely ignore all the established protocols that have existed prior and exist now and set a precedent of bypassing State and Federal oversight procedures. The very people whose lives will be most affected by this pipeline deserve to have the responsible agencies complete their review process to ensure the American people that this project has been thoroughly examined and vetted. Mr. Chairman, even my colleagues who may support the merits of the Keystone XL pipeline are appalled--and they should be appalled--at the majority party's attempt to hijack the process and circumvent the appropriate State and Federal agencies in order to hastily, irresponsibly green-light this project. This sentiment can be summed up best by a letter sent to me on February 9 by a citizen of this Nation, a Nebraskan rancher by the name of Randy Thomas, who said: The short circuiting of the process leaves those of us who live and work along the proposed pathway of this project with many lingering doubts about its safety, and the impacts it could have on our livelihoods.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, the American people deserve better than this shoddy attempt to provide TransCanada with a regulatory earmark that allows them to bypass the established rules and procedures we have in place. I cannot support this, and I ask my colleagues to join me in not supporting this particular bill.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, why is it that the proponents of this bill are smiling and smirking while walking around this Capitol? It's because this bill requires the hasty approval of an unprecedented permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. They're smiling and smirking because their friends, the Big Oil companies, are big winners with this bill while the little people, the private property owners along the path of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, will be the big losers. Mr. Chairman, people might be surprised to learn that TransCanada has been bullying the American people--American landowners--and has been pressuring them to allow the company to build a pipeline through their land. In fact, during the subcommittee hearing, we heard testimony from witnesses who live along the path near the proposed route of this pipeline that TransCanada is doing just that--bullying them. They don't even have a permit to build the pipeline, yet we are told that they are threatening American citizens with eminent domain, basically telling people, If you don't give us access to your land, if you don't give us your land, then we're going to take it. Mr. Chairman, this is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong. Why are we rewarding a private foreign company that is trying to intimidate and coerce American citizens with this regulatory earmark? In order to protect private property owners along the path of this pipeline, I am offering an amendment that will restrict the use of eminent domain. My amendment requires that a permit for this pipeline would only be issued if it prohibits the use of eminent domain to take someone's private property against his will. Mr. Chairman, my office was in contact with a Nebraska rancher by the name of Randy Thompson, who wrote me a letter dated February 9, and I want to read an excerpt of it for my colleagues. He wrote: Dear Congressman Rush, I would like to express to you, sir, my concerns about the bill introduced by Representative Terry to fast-forward the permitting process for the Keystone XL pipeline. It seems inherently wrong to me that a foreign corporation can actually force American citizens to forfeit their individual property rights through the use of eminent domain. With the denial of a permit, TransCanada has, for the time being, suspended their land acquisition process in the State of Nebraska. I can assure you, however, that they will be back on our doorsteps with a vengeance once a new route has been determined and a permit has been granted. It appears to me that some Members of Congress are all too eager to subsidize the Big Oil companies, not only with our tax dollars, but now with land that belongs to American citizens. Mr. Chairman, we have a duty to protect our citizens from being bullied into giving up their land against their will for the gain of private foreign companies. Let us wipe the smiles and the smirks off the faces of the proponents of this bill. Pass this amendment. Protect the American people. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I would like to inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, let me just say that as Members of this Congress, we were elected to this body to protect the American people, to protect our citizens, to protect their property. And, Mr. Chairman, the action that's occurring by the Republican majority is going to pass. But it's also going to turn that responsibility, that obligation, the reason for our existence here in this Congress upside down. It's going to make it just meaningless for the protection of the American people. Why don't you protect the landowners, the private landowners?

Mr. RUSH. Why don't we protect the landowners, the property holders in our Nation? We are elected here to protect them and not let a big oil company, TransCanada, a foreign company, come in and just take----

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and legacy of my friend and constituent Dr. Timuel D. Black, Jr. on the occasion today of the unveiling of the ``Timuel D. Black Jr. Papers'' at the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature of the Chicago Public Library's Carter G. Woodson Regional Branch. The grandson of slaves, Dr. Black was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1919. He and his family, who were part of the first big wave of African-Americans to migrate from the South, came to Chicago when he was just 8 months old. He is the product of the Chicago Public Schools system, graduating from DuSable High School and completed his undergraduate degree at Roosevelt University and graduate degree at the University of Chicago. Dr. Black taught in the Chicago Public Schools for 40 years, served as a Dean of Transfer Programs and Vice President in the City Colleges of Colleges. He is Professor Emeritus of Social Science at the City Colleges' Harold Washington College. Dr. Black is a revered political and social activist, community leader, oral historian, and philosopher. It was while teaching in the City Colleges system that Black trained himself to be an oral historian. His collection includes the extended versions of the 400 interviews that were excerpted for Black's celebrated two-book series, Bridges of Memory: Chicago's First Wave of Great Migration, which chronicled black Chicago history from the 1920s to the present. Dr. Black was a pioneer in the independent, progressive black political movement in Chicago which eventually saw the rise of Chicago's first Black Mayor, the late Harold Washington. Black has spent his life furthering the cause of social justice, and promoting the political, educational and social empowerment of African Americans. The ``Black Papers'', containing nearly 260 archival boxes, is the largest collection assembled at the historic Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection in more than two decades. It contains material from the 1963 March on Washington, rare photos of Black with the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a vast jazz collection featuring Duke Ellington and others. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Timuel D. Black, Jr.'s life has been seen through the lenses of discrimination, restrictive housing covenants, marches and protests for human rights and dignity, and struggles for social and political self-determination and empowerment that have been preserved and will be unveiled for Chicago, this nation, and indeed the world to now see. I commend him and the Chicago Public Library for their forethought in capturing, recording, and displaying an important part of American history. I am privileged to enter these words in the Congressional Record of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Hortense Brice, a dedicated teacher from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. We can all agree, Mr. Speaker, that one of the greatest services a citizen can offer our nation is dedicating their lives to teaching the next generation. Passing wisdom, knowledge, and inspiration is the greatest gift in one of the most honorable professions. It is in that tradition, Mr. Speaker, that Hortense Brice has dedicated her life for the last forty one years. A life dedicated not only to the education of others but to her personal education as well. She worked hard not only for her Bachelor of Science Degree from Illinois State University but also for her Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois at Chicago. After her Master's degree she trained for 36 hours in Science Education at the Illinois Institute of Technology. For most people, graduating from college marks the end of their academic careers and the beginning of their financial ones. For Hortense however this was not the case. Her drive for knowledge pushed her to enroll in further workshops, conferences, and graduate-level courses in a number of scientific fields and at many respected institutions of higher learning. She did this not just for a love of learning but also, so that when teaching her pupils, she would be able to pass on an expertise and deep seated knowledge that they would not be subject to otherwise. This is exactly what she did when she created the first biotechnology curriculum in the Chicago Public School system. To teach is to lead. Hortense Brice has embodied, and still embodies, such a principle. She created the first Biotechnology Center of Excellence at Lindblom Math and Science Academy, supporting professional development for Chicago Public School teachers. The belief that it is just as important to teach the next generation of teachers as it is the next generation of pupils was at the foundation of Hortense's work. She arranged for high school teachers from the Chicago Public Schools to enroll in a 2-year biotechnology training course at the University of Illinois, and secured a grant from the National Science Association that helped provide further training for more high school educators. While doing all of this Hortense Brice still taught elements of biotechnology at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, and the first full-year biotechnology course at Lindblom Math and Science Academy in Chicago, Illinois. She taught by example and her hard work ethic inside and outside the classroom served as an inspiration to pupils and colleagues alike. With her experience and education she had a unique insight into what the education curriculum lacked and what it needed. For example, in 2006 after noticing a gap in the curriculum she worked with the After School Matters program to develop a successful pharmaceutical drug curriculum for high schools pupils. Even with her retirement in June 2009 Hortense still continues to attend science training programs, including a five-day biotechnology immersion program held by the Biotechnology institute at the BIO International Convention. Though her teaching career is over her pursuit of knowledge will never be. It is this love of knowledge that has made her such an inspirational teacher and educational advocate. It is why she was recognized as an outstanding educator, researcher and trainer for the next generation of young scientists by the iBio Institute, who gave her the Knowledge Builder Award for grades 6-12. It is the very same reason why I am speaking about her today. Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe that to be ignorant is to be left in the darkness, the only thing that can conquer such darkness is the light of education. Hortense Brice embodies such a light. It is for that reason that I rise today to recognize Hortense Brice for her dedication to the teaching of advanced science in high school students in the Chicago Public Schools and to congratulate her on her retirement.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. I thank the gentleman, Mr. Larsen from Washington State, for recognizing me and sharing the time with me. I am here to express my full support for this bill, H.R. 2845, the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011. Mr. Speaker, this bill represents a bipartisan effort and a good- faith compromise by Members from both sides of the aisle, from multiple committees, and of course across both Chambers of Congress. During negotiations on the final bill language, I was very fortunate to have Administrator Cynthia Quarterman of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Agency accept my invitation to come out to my State and to discuss pipeline safety with representatives from the Illinois Commerce Commission, as well as with officials from Will County, which accounts for a larger percentage of pipelines than any other county in my home State. Mr. Speaker, many of the same serious issues regarding pipeline safety that were discussed in these meetings are addressed in this piece of legislation. I am very pleased with the final product. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to thank Members from both sides of the aisle, chairman emeritus of the full committee and dean of the House, John Dingell; Energy and Commerce Chairman Upton; and Ranking Member Waxman, as well as Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Whitfield, for working with my office to include language that will require a comprehensive report examining the levels of engagement and participation of minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises and contractors involved in the construction and the operations of pipelines in this country. Additionally, this report will look at the methods for facilitating this type of involvement in order to increase the participation of minorities and women in the very lucrative pipeline industry. This study will be a first step in a process to make sure that the builders and contractors in charge of rebuilding America's aging and expanding pipeline system will represent the variety of groups and businesses that are here in our Nation, including those who are most desperate for jobs and economic opportunity. I'm pleased to support this legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to join with me in voting for it.

Mr. RUSH

Mr. RUSH. I want to thank the ranking member for his outstanding leadership and for yielding time to me. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this ill-conceived, nonsensical, and in all ways awful bill, H.R. 1633, which could have a devastating effect on the EPA's ability to enforce the Clean Air Act on the basis of both procedural and substantive grounds. Mr. Chairman, the CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, scored this bill and determined that it would cost $10 million in discretionary spending over a 5-year period for the EPA to cover the cost of carrying out changes to existing emission control standards, as well as other activities to study the need and feasibility of modifying the EPA's national monitoring network for particulate matter, as this bill requires. Since this $10 million is not appropriated anywhere in this bill, this bill would directly violate the discretionary CutGo policy that this majority, that my friends on the other side, voted for that they put in place at the beginning of this Congress. If we pass this bill, it will be the height of hypocrisy for this atrocious bill to get through this House. Additionally, Mr. Chairman, on the issue of substance, I oppose this bill because it would dramatically weaken the Clean Air Act by eliminating the EPA's ability to regulate particulate matter from a broad range of sources, as well as jeopardize existing State and Federal regulations that apply to fine and coarse particulate matter. Although the title of this bill suggests that it only covers dust from farms, this bill creates a whole new broad, new nonscientific category of pollution called ``nuisance dust,'' which it would exempt from the Clean Air Act completely. Nuisance dust would be exempted from the Clean Air Act totally without any basis and science, no scientific evidence whatsoever; and in doing so, this bill would do harm to the public's health. The bill would exempt from the Clean Air Act any particulate matter pollution that is emitted from sources such as open-pit mines, mining processing plants, sand and gravel mines, smelters, coal mines, coal- processing plants, cement kilns, and waste and recovery facilities. These very facilities emit fine particulates, coarse particulates, arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, zinc, chromium, and other heavy metals--all of which would fall under this bill's broad exemption from the Clean Air Act. Mr. Chairman, as the American Lung Association noted, under the provisions of this bill, our country's most vulnerable populations-- poor people, people who depend on the EPA to protect them from the harmful effects of coarse particulates will be most affected. Children, teens, senior citizens, low-income people, people with chronic lung disease such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema will be especially at risk of being sickened by coarse particulates if this bill were to become law. Additionally, people with other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure, they will all be placed at greater risk if this bill becomes law. Mr. Chairman, as I've noted before, this bill is a solution in search of a problem, and it does more harm than good. This bill should fail. I oppose this bill.

Mr. RUSH. I want to thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I want to share with the Members of this body the administration's position on this particular bill that is under discussion right now. This is a Statement of Administration Policy: ``The administration strongly opposes H.R. 1633. As drafted, this bill would create serious problems for implementing Clean Air Act public health protections that have been in place for years while adding uncertainty for businesses and States. The bill, therefore, goes far beyond its stated intent of prohibiting the EPA from tightening national standards for coarse particles, which the administration has repeatedly explained that it has no intention of doing.'' It goes on to say: ``This ambiguously written bill would create high levels of regulatory uncertainty regarding emission control requirements that have been in place for years. Specifically, the bill's exclusion from the entire CAA of a new class of air pollutants called `nuisance dust,' an imprecise and scientifically undefined term, could be used to roll back existing public health protection limiting pollution from mining operations, industrial activities, and possibly other sources. ``The bill also raises serious issues about whether the EPA could continue to implement the existing health-based fine and coarse particle programs, which play a vital, ongoing role in preventing adverse health effects of air pollution, including premature deaths, childhood asthma attacks, and other respiratory problems.''