Question of the Day: What Should the Federal Government’s Role Be in Regulating Air Quality?

The U.S. House of Representatives passed in April the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, which would amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from considering greenhouse gases in any clean air regulations or from taking action on rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions in order to address climate change.

Congresswoman Nan Hayworth (R-NY 19) explained in an interview with Patch last week that she voted in favor of this amendment because she does not believe the EPA should "unilaterally enforce regulations on greenhouse gas emissions."

"We don’t know the extent to which there is a man-made contribution to global warming," she said. "There are many sources of carbon dioxide...and it's hard to quantify that."

Hayworth said she supported the EPA's activities to implement the Clean Air Act but not to the extent that they would "drive enterprise out of the U.S."

"We need better evidence," she said.

Other House Republicans agree, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal story.

In a May 9 letter to the editor of the Times Herald-Record, Hayworth also said "to claim that I am not concerned with the health of our fellow citizens and our environment is misinformed at best. The Clean Air Act provides crucial protections for our environment, and I am not seeking to weaken it; to that end, I have voted against efforts to defund the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."

The freshman Congresswoman said she preferred local initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases, such as which helps homeowners retrofit their homes to save money in energy costs and reduce the town's carbon footprint. The program, which will be rolled out to other municipalities in Northern Westchester next year, through the Department of Energy.

"It's great to have local initiatives like Energize Bedford – this is the way to go," Hayworth told Patch. "Our communities can decide on our standards and work within local circumstances to reduce our carbon footprint."

To that end, Hayworth said she is working on legislation to approve (Property Assessed Clean Energy), enabling more homeowners to participate in the program.

What are your thoughts? Do you think this amendment is a step backward in the fight against toxic pollution, or a positive step toward reducing government regulation of industry?