American Lung Association Opposes Spending Cuts, Riders in Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6147, a package of appropriations bills including the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies bill. Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association, issued the following statement in response:

"The American Lung Association is disappointed by the passage of H.R. 6147 by the U.S. House of Representatives. This spending bill cuts funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at a time when the American public is all too aware of the need for more investment in public health protections, not less.

"The bill also contains numerous harmful policy provisions, or 'riders,' that have no place in a spending bill, including riders to weaken healthy air and climate protections. This includes riders to block limits on methane from the oil and gas industry and to weaken citizens' ability to fight in court for EPA to reduce dangerous pollution and protect the health of Americans.

"The American Lung Association calls on the Senate to reject these harmful attacks on public health protections, and not add harmful riders to its version of this spending bill on the floor next week. If the Interior and Environment appropriations bill is considered in conference, the committee must reject the House’s harmful riders in the final bill."