Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Donald M. Payne voted in favor of landmark legislation that will help to protect our air, clean up our waters and restore our public lands. The Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (HR 2996) emphasizes reducing pollution in our air and water, cleaning up dangerous toxic waste sites, boosting the production of renewable fuels and encouraging energy efficiency.

"This nation's legacy lies in its magnificent natural resources," said Payne. "With this bill, we can make real progress to clean up our water sources, spur the use and production of clean, efficient energy and help restore the splendor of our lakes, forests and parks."

The bill takes significant steps to reduce air and water pollution and assists over 1,500 communities to improve their drinking water and wastewater systems. It also provides funding to cleanup dangerous toxic waste sites and gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the tools it needs to study the impact of toxins and pollution on children.

"Our environment has a direct impact on the health and safety of our kids and families," said Payne. "By passing this legislation, we can make sure our kids are drinking clean water and breathing clean air. There is no higher priority than protecting their health."

To support our national security objectives and economic recovery efforts, the legislation reduces our reliance on foreign oil and cuts the pollution caused by greenhouse gas emissions through encouraging the consumer energy efficiency and the production of clean, renewable American energy. To help Americans save money and make wise environmental decisions, the bill allocates $50 million for the EPA's successful Energy Star Program – which already saves consumers $14 billion a year in energy costs. The bill also dedicates funds towards the development of renewable clean energy sources on federal lands and water.

"With this bill, we are making great strides towards meeting our goal of producing 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022 and boosting research in new renewable energy sources," said Payne.  "The future of our country and our planet depends on the investments we make today, and I am proud to say that with the passage of this legislation, we can all look forward to a cleaner, greener tomorrow."

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