There is a new bill in the House of Representatives called H.R. 637, sponsored by our 1st District Representative, Dr. Andy Harris. This broad, sweeping bill seeks to reclassify several chemicals so that they would no longer be regulated nor considered, “air pollutants,”
Dr. Harris’s bill says these are no longer air pollutants: methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, carbon dioxide. I researched these chemicals, and I can’t find any reason why we would want these chemicals in our air, unregulated. These chemicals are gasses that contribute to air pollution. If they go into our air, they will impact our crops, livestock, seafood, soil and waters that are the bounty of our Chesapeake Bay region, not to mention our lungs! Remember smog, acid rain, greenhouse gasses? The polluted Potomac River? Let’s work together in a bipartisan way to protect our Bay Region. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Our God given air, soils, and water, need our good stewardship. This bill can be found online here. It is a very short, easy read, yet disastrous for our Bay Region. Our representatives work hard and deserve our respect. Often they may not know how we feel about certain bills.
Let’s make sure Mr. Harris knows that this bill is not in the best interest of a healthy 1st District Baltimore, Eastern Shore, and Chesapeake Bay Region. Dr.. Harris’ local office can be reached here . I encourage you to make your concerned, red and blue voices heard.
Chris Koch
Ken Sadler Easton MD says
Who exactly requested that you do this? Who chose the chemicals to be included?
Sarah Ramsey says
These chemicals are “greenhouse gases”, considered to be the worst offenders in climate change. The proposed bill wants to eliminate all EPA regulation of greenhouse gases, in spite of the disastrous effect of these gases on our environment.
Willard Engelskir says
As a retired chemist, I just have to think about where Andy Harris gets his funding. Just payback. Sad