Smoke and mirrors

The recent visit by the Bush administration’s chief environmental adviser to the often hazy Cadillac Mountain is another example of smoke and mirrors – the Bush administration has attempted to weaken nearly all the laws set in place to clean our air.

We in Maine are paying the price. Half of Maine’s counties and 108 towns and cities have smog pollution so thick that the air is unsafe to breathe. Soot pollution triggers thousands of asthma attacks every year. Scenic views in Acadia National Park are marred with haze pollution.

Old and dirty coal-fired power plants are among the biggest sources of this pollution that drifts in from upwind states. Modern pollution controls could eliminate 75 percent or more of this pollution, but the Bush administration is working to loosen regulations to give these dinosaur power plants a lifetime license to pollute. Despite their true record of weakening clean air protections in favor of power plants, the Bush administration had the audacity to claim progress on air pollution during their visit to Acadia.

The EPA currently is seeking public comment on this weakening of our clean air protections, so now is our chance to voice our desire for clean air, not rhetoric. Please take a moment to let the EPA know that you oppose weakening our clean air protections, by visiting the Web site: www.environmentmaine.org

Matthew Davis

Advocate

Environment Maine

Portland