1976 Scorecard Vote
(S. 3219) Clean Air Act Amendments: The vote is on the Moss amendment to delete the Òno significant deterioration provisionsÓ in the Clean Air Act requiring protection of present pristine air and authorizing a one year study on the impact of such requirements. As written, the bill required that National Parks and wilderness areas of 5,000 acres or more meet strict Class I air quality standards. New power plants near these parks would have to use best available pollution control technology and be sited so as to protect the clean air of these regions. The Moss amendment would have removed all these requirements, and allowed EPA through regulation to permit clean air areas to be polluted up to the minimum standards now set for most large cities. These standards give only minimum protection and are probably not sufficient to guard against long term adverse effects on public health. The President supported the amendment. August 3, 1976. Rejected 31-63. The correct vote is no.
pro-environment position