Below is Schakowsky’s statement.

The Bush Administration is again proving that its number one priority is giving money to the wealthy and mega-corporations.  Not surprisingly, they have found another way to fill the pockets of big oil and energy companies. The Bush Administration is shameless in promoting its latest Enron-like economic plan that gives to the rich and takes from the rest. The President has decided, for a second year, to give polluters a free pass. 

President Bush refuses to ask Corporations to pay their fair share to cleanup Superfund sites.  In other words, by not extending a Supoerfund tax on polluters, Bush is giving them another tax break.

The Superfund program has been a useful tool in forcing polluters to pay for cleaning up the toxic releases for which they were responsible.  The program has also made a priority out of cleaning up our country’s most hazardous sites. The Bush administration's decision not to reauthorize the taxes will shift the cost burden of maintaining the Superfund trust fund to taxpayers.

Big oil and chemical companies have already gotten out of paying $11.2 billion in taxes to the trust fund.  (They have been paid $4 million a day in tax breaks for 6 years and now the Bush administration would like to fill their pockets even more.)

In Illinois, as many as 7 clean up sites that are on the National Priorities List and already in progress, will be subject to delays or may be lost altogether.  Hundreds of other sites waiting to be placed on the list will not stand a chance.  This means that areas that are loaded with dangerous, poisonous toxins will remain.  A disproportionate number of these areas are near houses in low income and minority neighborhoods.  Still more are near schools and areas where children play.  Nonetheless, the Bush Administration feels that the taxpayer should shoulder the responsibility for the clean up effort.  

For 2003, the President proposes that taxpayers pay $700 million, or more than 50 percent of the $1.3 billion fund, a $450 million increase. 

The Republicans in Congress and the Bush Administration’s shameless corporate favoritism is taking us backwards.   The taxpayers didn’t make this mess, but now they are being told to clean it up. 

The President claims to be pro-environment but his actions tell a very different story.  It is up to Congress to pass legislation and other initiatives that focus on environmental protection for our communities.  We must fight the Bush Administration’s efforts to diminish the strides to clean up toxic corporate junkyards.  We must make this Administration serve the people it represents, not the big companies that fund its campaigns.