Lieberman Against Mercury Pollution, Will he keep Hammering?
06.15.05 - Sens. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, and Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat, last week reintroduced their climate-change bill. As evidence of the growing awareness of the dangers of climate change and the need to do something about it, there will be competing bills in Congress this year. The McCain-Lieberman proposal, which received 43 votes, including Maine's senators, in the Senate in 2003, still remains the best, despite objections over funding for nuclear energy, a provision added to gain support for the bill. It should continue to be supported by Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.
The Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would limit greenhouse gas emissions from all major sectors of the economy to 2000 levels by 2010. To achieve these levels it would adopt a cap-and-trade system similar to the one that has worked effectively to reduce acid rain. New this year are financial incentives to encourage companies to invest in energy efficient technologies and for research and development of cleaner fuels and vehicles. Because nuclear power, which does not emit greenhouse gases, holds more promise for delivering a lot of energy than, say solar or wind, it is expected to collect more of the subsidies.
With new federal mercury regulations that could go into effect soon, the cap-and-trade system would enable plants to trade mercury pollution "credits". The plan is opposed by environmentalists, the rules would let lower-polluting plants sell credits to those putting out more pollutants. So while some areas would indeed benefit from the new plan, others could in fact, become even more polluted buying up credits from those companies that reduced pollution.
Under a cap-and-trade system, pollution would be unevenly spread across the nation, with the economically strapped, lowest-populated areas hit the hardest. Imagining that pollution will now be evenly or fairly distributed, or follow any environmental or safety considerations would be a dire mistake given the history of corporations adversity's to stopping their own pollution.
The House version of the bill provides funding for increased wind, solar and hydrogen power, as does the Senate's. But they differ on federal support for production of ethanol -- a fuel produced from corn -- with the Senate supporting 8 billion gallons and the House 5 billion. Major agricultural states like South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Indiana want to give their corn farmers the biggest boost possible, and Mr. Domenici said he expects the 8-billion-gallon standard "will stick." The final hurdle that must be overcome involves the turf battle between the states that border the Gulf of Mexico. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat, has been fighting to get more royalties from the offshore oil and natural gas her state produces and to increase production, a position Mr. Bingaman and Mr. Domenici agree with. "I favor more development of oil and gas offshore, and we should be pursuing drilling in certain areas," Mr. Bingaman said.
But Florida, a state that relies on tourism dollars, fears for its beaches if a spill occurs and has blocked such efforts. The president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican, has proposed making permanent the 200-mile buffer. Mr. Domenici said: "If he has it now, we are not going to take it away from him."
Thimerosal or Mercury in Vaccines
Yeah you're wondering what has all this got to do with vaccines? Nothing. It's the tie with mercury pollution and Bush cronies that connects them. Stick with me, I'll make a comment at the end. Lawsuits began appearing in 2000 after the federal government asked manufacturers of childhood vaccines to stop using mercury-based preservatives. Lawyers had hit vaccine makers with 68 thimerosal lawsuits, 11 of them class actions. One in Florida is claiming as many as 175 million victims. Another is said to be asking for $30 billion in damages.
Mercury polluters know mercury harms people and although their rhetoric is rife with references to protecting planet Earth, some of the corporations acknowledge that their focus is driven by opportunity for profit. It will be profitable to sell energy credits to other corporations too.
The Bush administration, which has pursued an energy policy that heavily promotes fossil fuels, has shown few signs of altering its position.
Most oil and gas companies, among the president's biggest political benefactors, remain firmly opposed to toughening the administration's existing policies, which promote only voluntary reductions of greenhouse gases.
The American Petroleum Institute has been lobbying against the recommendations of the National Commission on Energy Policy, which also suggested a moderated "cap and trade" system in which companies that reduced more than their share of greenhouse gases would obtain credits they could sell to others.
Drug Maker Tells Congressional Staff That They Won't Produce Smallpox Vaccine Without Amendment Granting Immunity From Mercury Vaccine Lawsuits
A thimerosal liability shield rider tacked on to the Homeland Security Bill at the last minute and passed by the US House was opposed by lawmakers, activists and parents of children with autism as unfair and irresponsible. The rider would effectively end lawsuits for damages caused to children after multiple mercury exposures from thimerosal in infant vaccines.
An amendment was introduced into the US Senate by Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Tom Daschle (D-SD) to remove this and other riders unrelated to bioterrorism.
The Homeland Security bill rider would keep the lawsuits out of state courts, preventing large judgments, and instead refer complaints to a 14-year-old federal program limiting compensation to $250,000 for those who suffer the side effects of vaccines. Further, the rider would uphold the current statute of limitations, thereby continuing to bar the majority of affected children from seeking compensation--and without any other legal recourse.
By the way, what's your child worth?
According to recent Centers for Disease Control investigations, Autism Spectrum Disorders affect approximately 1 in 150 American children today. A recent report estimates the lifetime costs of caring for children with autism at around $2 million each.
Shameful Corporate Favors
This provision will preempt existing class-action lawsuits against Eli Lilly and Co., which charge that mercury in vaccines is responsible for the onset of childhood autism. No one is admitting to the authorship of this liability exemption, but President Bush coincidentally appointed Sidney Taurel, the CEO of Eli Lilly and Co. to his Homeland Security Council in June 2002. Bush's Budget Director, Mitchell Daniels, is also a former top executive with Eli Lilly.
We have time and again seen Bush show favoritism to his cronies to the point of bailing them out with legislation to prevent lawsuits, even in times of dire need, Bush has shown that profit is preferrable over safety, over compensation to people whose lives are devastated by both the pollution mercury and the vaccination mercury.
CAP and TRADE will not end the pollution. Cap and trade is smoke and mirrors so to speak, and will allow those that pollute to continue to pollute. The largest single source of mercury pollution in the United States is smoke from coal burned at power plants, according to the EPA.
President Bush, Shame on you for not protecting "the people" from your Corporate Buddies, for IN FACT giving them power, for IN FACT shielding them, and for IN FACT rewarding them instead of bringing them to task. Instead you should be passing legislation to stop the exploitation of americans and of polluting american land for the benefit of your corporate cronies and to the detriment of your fellow american.
What Can We Do?
Keep contacting your representatives and tell them you don't want drug companies exempted from harming people. Tell them to pass laws that Cap not Cap and Trade pollution credits to enable polluters to buy up and continue polluting.
Collins, Lieberman Call For Reconsideration of Mercury Rule - April 26, 2005
Lieberman Protests EPA Mercury Rule - March 15, 2005
Lieberman Calls on Bush Administration to Enforce Stricter Mercury Rules - March 7, 2005
Lieberman, Colleagues, Introduce Resolution Calling For U.S. Leadership on Global Mercury Pollution - February 17, 2005
Lieberman Calls ‘Clear Skies’ Inadequate - February 2, 2005
Members of Congress Want Truth on Tuna and Mercury Rule Analysis - September 1, 2004
Lieberman
Asks EPA Inspector General
To Investigate Mercury Rule - April 14, 2004
UConn Receives Federal Funding To Study Mercury Pollution - September 8, 1999