I particularly want to thank Senator Jeffords, Senator Lieberman, and the other members of the committee who are cosponsors of the Clean Power Act. Senators Jeffords, Lieberman, Schumer and I began developing this legislation last fall. I note that both Senators Jeffords and Lieberman have a long history of working on behalf of clean air, and their leadership was extremely valuable in devising a bill that sets the framework for returning our nation to an era of blue skies and smog-free days.
I would also like to thank Conrad Schneider of Brunswick, Maine, for his input into the Clean Power Act. Conrad, who will be testifying before the committee later today, provided valuable assistance in targeting the loophole in the Clean Air Act that has allowed the dirtiest, most polluting power plants in the nation to escape significant pollution controls for more than 30 years.
Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of air pollution, mercury contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions in the nation. They are truly horrific polluters. Just one coal fired power plant can emit 5 times more of the pollutants that cause smog and acid rain than all industrial sources in Maine combined.
As the easternmost state in the nation, Maine is downwind of almost all power plants in the United States. Many of the pollutants emitted by these power plants mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide end up in or over Maine. Airborne mercury falls into our lakes and streams, contaminating freshwater fish and threatening our people's health. Carbon dioxide is causing climate change that threatens to alter Maine's delicate ecological balance. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides come to Maine in the form of acid rain and smog that damage the health of our people and of our environment.
Mr. Chairman, Maine is tired of serving as the last stop for the nation's dirtiest power plant emissions. As I said when we introduced the Clean Power Act, it is time to end the "dirty air express." All power plants should meet the same standards, and those standards must protect people's health and the health of the environment. I am pleased that today's hearing moves us one step closer to ending the free ride for the nation's dirtiest power plants.
This bill will also level the playing field between upwind and downwind states. Inexpensive electricity in other states has come at the expense of the health of people in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and other downwind states. At the same time, power-intensive industries in our states have been forced into a competitive disadvantage with competitors in states with dirty power.
After causing some of the nation's worst pollution problems for decades on end, the time has come for power plants to stop using loopholes to evade emissions reductions. This bill demonstrates strong bipartisan support for clean air. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for convening this hearing on our legislation, and I look forward to working with you to help ensure that this legislation becomes law.