"September 16, 2005
Six Senate Democrats Vote to Retain Bush Mercury Rule
The nation's environmental health protections suffered a severe setback this week when six Democratic Senators joined 45 Republicans to defeat an effort to overturn the Bush Administration's new rule regulating mercury emissions.
Health experts assert that the new EPA rule, which institutes a "cap-and-trade" system for mercury emissions, will cause dangerous hot spots of mercury pollution in regions where a power plant can buy pollution "credits" rather than reduce its emissions.Democrats joining in the 51-47 vote against repealing rule included Senators Max Baucus (MT); Robert Byrd (WV); Kent Conrad (ND); Byron Dorgan (ND): Ben Nelson (NE); Mark Pryor (AR).
Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) called the new rule illegal."
There is more of this article at the bushgreenwatch.org website.
Yet another example of Democrats siding with their corporate masters rather than with the health and well-being of their constituents. We need to lean on these people and somehow either change their ways or change who has their Senate seats.