Big Oil Loves Dirty Gas and Dirty Air
Despite extensive evidence showing that Presidents have litte to no impact on gas prices, House Republicans continue to pitch a fit. The latest move in "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" campaign is to attack much needed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safeguards that in reality would clean up vehicles and gasoline (and subsequently our air) and have almost no impact on gas prices.
Republicans and their BFFs over at the American Petroleum Institute (API) have been targeting EPA’s plans to propose safeguards for the amount of sulfur allowed in gasoline, which combined with tailpipe standards for dangerous air pollution, are called the Tier III Standards. These standards promise to help our kids breathe cleaner air, but Republicans and API want to oppose everything that would harm the poor struggling oil industry.
More asthma attacks and respiratory illnesses all around, all so Big Oil can continue to rake in huge profits? They’re even bending the truth about the costs of these safeguards. From Politico:
In contrast to the industry estimates, state regulators said in an October report that reducing sulfur in gasoline could cost consumers just 0.8 cent per gallon.
And now API's out with a bit of back-tracking. Now they're lowering their estimate of these safeguards' impact on gas prices because they (API) had analyzed the wrong thing! How nice of API to reassess after mis-educating Congress, Presidential candidates, and giving Republicans fodder for months.
Americans deserve clean air and these pollution and low sulfur standards are needed to help deliver it. But Republicans and API want to know – how much does your health cost? How much is your health worth to you?
-- Ann Mesnikoff, Director of the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign
