Did Josh Riley Stand Up For Clean Air And healthy ecosystems?
Republicans in Congress attacked America’s clean air and healthy ecosystems with a series of resolutions (H.J. Res 78, 87, 88, and 89) to overturn responsible rules that restrict air pollution and carefully manage river ecosystems.
U.S. Representative Josh Riley did the right thing at first and voted against these pro-pollution resolutions... but then did the wrong thing by voting FOR one of the resolutions. What the heck?
This is a revised version of the podcast, incorporating a last-minute discovery of Josh Riley’s decision to vote against clean air regulations after he voted to protect them. This is weird, for sure. Was this a mistake? Is Josh Riley trying to have it both ways in some kind of bizarre attempt to be centrist?
Who can say? It sure would be great if Congressman Josh Riley released a statement explaining why he voted against increasing air pollution, but then voted for increasing air pollution.
This week’s podcast also features the voices of U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman and Sam Liccardo, explaining why the Republican attacks against clean air and healthy ecosystems are so damaging, not just to American wildlife, but to the people of the USA as well.
The House of Representatives brought up a group of resolutions this week, H.J. Res 78, 87, 88, 89, that attack America’s clean air and water.
These resolutions in the US House of Representatives overrule a sensible, open, honest environmental regulatory process. Ordinarily, over the space of two to three years, government agencies propose regulations, which are executions of laws that have been passed by Congress, laws like the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Water Act.
Congressman Jared Huffman rose to speak to the US House and explained why these anti-environment measures are a distraction from America’s real problems.:
“Mr. Speaker, this resolution, House Joint Resolution 78, continues a very familiar pattern that we're seeing from this Republican majority. Distractions and scapegoats, instead of dealing with real crises, real problems, solutions to the challenges that are facing working families, including American farmers and rural communities all over this country. So today, they're bringing us a resolution that tries to blame an endangered fish, the Bay Delta Longfin Smelt, for California's water problems and shortages.
They're doing that instead of addressing major problems that are actually impacting farmers and rural communities. So let's be clear. Removing protections for the Longfin Smelt will not make it rain.
It will not rebuild California's snowpack. It won't refill our reservoirs. Not even the reservoir that President Trump recently drained in a public relations stunt that had nothing to do with fighting fires or water supply.
“California's water shortages are driven by climate change and also prolonged drought, aging and outdated infrastructure and over allocation. It's not the fault of some tiny fish. Meanwhile, farmers, including those in my district, are grappling with worsening droughts, wildfires, floods, extreme weather, and now the fallout from President Trump's disastrous trade policies for agriculture.
All the while, Republicans won't talk about any of those things. Instead, they bring us here to debate whether a small fish should be allowed to go extinct or be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
“We see the entire rural health care safety net, including nursing home care, including services that anyone with a person with disabilities and their families depend on, all of that, in limbo, as we brace for catastrophic cuts from Republicans as they try to fund their tax cuts for billionaires. If this Republican majority were serious about helping farmers and rural communities, they'd be working to reverse these harmful policies. They'd be standing up for rural America right now, and instead, they're wasting our time.
Look, just because we are debating a three-inch fish today doesn't mean we need to think like one.”
We can say thank you to Congressman Josh Riley for standing with Jared Huffman’s resistance to one of these resolutions, an assault against the Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, Josh Riley did not stand against all of these pro-pollution, anti-efficiency resolutions.
Some people might wonder what we, in rural upstate New York have to worry about air pollution. What those people overlook is that environmental damage has a way of spreading. That’s because the wind blows reliably from west to east. You might think because we're in upstate New York, we’re exempted from the air pollution problems of big cities, but that’s not true. In fact, the air quality in upstate New York is often dangerously compromised because we are downwind from an entire continent filled with factories, cars, and trucks that spew a huge amount of toxic filth into the air. Because we live in the eastern United States, all of the air pollution from the West gets blown our way. The air in California does not stay in California.
In response to this problem, the state government of California has been taking responsibility for the West Coast pollution that blows across North America. In California, the state government has been working toward higher standards for controlling the air pollution that comes from automobiles. Californians are not content to go along with the federal standards for emissions of pollution by cars and trucks.
California wants to do better, to help develop cars and trucks that are more efficient. Wouldn’t you think Republicans would be in favor of efficiency? Wouldn't you think that the Republican Party, which claims to be for states' rights when it comes to things like undermining civil liberties and attacking those, would be in favor of state governments’ ability to do things their own way.
When it comes to environmental cleanliness, the Republican Party seems to be opposed to states’ rights. With H.J. Res. resolution 88, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives voted to take away the ability of California to set its own higher vehicle emissions standards for air pollution.
Congressman Josh Riley voted with the Republicans for H.J. Res. 88. Josh Riley voted to allow car manufacturers to make cars and trucks that spew higher amounts of air pollution into the skies over upstate New York. Do you think any of those “folks” Josh Riley keeps saying he talks to have been asking to please, please, have more toxic filth in the air?
“Clean air is a kitchen table issue. That’s because clean air is an issue of health for families in upstate New York. Clean air is also an economic issue. U.S. Representative Sam Liccardo talked about that when he rose to speak about H.J. Res. 88 this week. Congressman Liccardo said:
“Where is the action to help Americans pay their bills? You won't find it in any of these three measures. Instead, my Republican colleagues seek to undermine waivers from federal regulations that California and 13 other states have relied upon for half a century to protect our clean air.
This waiver has done much to clear the once smoggy air of the Golden State and eliminating these standards will result in the release of 1.6 billion metric tons of pollutants into the air. That pollution will imperil our children and our seniors and the tens of millions who suffer from respiratory ailments like asthma and COPD. As if the harmed or health and environment isn't enough, the GOP proposals in each of these three measures will cost American citizens even more in their pocketbooks.
Over the next fifteen years, eliminating these fuel standards will increase American spending at the gas pump by $89 billion. And even if you adjust for different purchasing costs of vehicles, Americans will still pay $55 billion more out of pocket because of these efforts to make our cars and trucks less fuel efficient.”
Josh Riley promised the people of New York’s 19th congressional district that he would represent their needs on kitchen table issues. Josh Riley betrayed that promise when he voted for H.J. Res. 88, to allow the automotive industry to make less efficient, more dirty cars and trucks.
Americans will pay $89 billion dollars at the gas pump because of this vote by Josh Riley.
Americans will breathe in 1.6 million metric tons of pollutants because of this vote by Josh Riley.
American families will suffer from more expensive medical bills because of this vote by Josh Riley.
Why on earth would Josh Riley vote for H.J. Res. 88?
Josh Riley has some explaining to do.