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LETTER: Support the Clean Air Act

By Beacon Staff

As a business owner invested in and committed to building the clean energy future of Montana, I was pleased to see Sen. Jon Tester stand up on behalf of the Clean Air Act recently.

Tester voted against four different amendments that would’ve weakened this 40-year-old piece of legislation and prevented limits from being placed on pollutants that harm both our climate and people’s health. Congressman Denny Rehberg, meanwhile, voted for a House bill that would have weakened these important protections.

Over the past four decades, the Clean Air Act has been supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. It was signed into law by President Richard Nixon. The provisions of the act have kept Montana’s air clean, and prevented air quality in parts of our state from getting worse. A recent poll by the American Lung Association shows that three-quarters of voters support stronger limits on pollutants, and they think Congress should let scientists, not politicians, oversee clean air protections.

Supporting the Clean Air Act sends the message that our state is seriously committed to developing clean energy sources and encouraging job creation in the renewables sector. Tester gets it and I hope others in Washington, D.C., will join him in standing strong.

Jeff Arcel
Whitefish