STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD - MICHAEL C. BURGESS

ENERGY AND AIR QUALITY SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING:

A HEARING ON THE ADMINISTRATION'S CLEAR SKIES INITIATIVE

May 26, 2005

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you for holding this important hearing.

I can't think of a better time to hold a hearing on clean air. My Congressional District, like the Chairman's, is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas. Each summer the Metroplex faces a serious public health problem in the form of ozone.

The hot Texas air combines with Volatile Organic Compounds and nitrogen oxides to form ground level ozone, which causes health problems for our elderly and children, and especially those with asthma.

I believe that clean air will be one of the North Texas region’s most important and challenging issues over the next decade. I support efforts to clean up our air - clean air is one of the most important legacies that we can leave our children.

In North Texas, there is a significant commitment to clean the air. The EPA, the State of Texas, the Cities of Fort Worth and Dallas, and the North Texas Clean Air Coalition, which is comprised of the North Texas Council of Governments and community leaders, are all working together to improve air quality in the North Texas region. They've done a good job so far - North Texas has grown rapidly over the last decade and the degree of air pollution has not increased, and has even improved.

The Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex has been designated as in "moderate" non-attainment under the recently announced 8-Hour ozone designations, with an attainment date of 2010. This is an improvement over its 1-hour ozone designation, when Dallas - Fort Worth was classified as in "serious" non-attainment. I am pleased about the progress we have made over the last few decades on cleaning up our air, but there is a lot of work still to be done.

The Clean Air Act has helped to improve our air quality since it was enacted, but I believe that the time is right for Congress to examine whether or not it makes sense for the future.

The complexity alone makes it difficult for states and localities to comply. I do not believe that we should let states and cities "off the hook" for cleaning the air, as some have alleged.

But I think that it makes common sense to allow states and cities to spend their resources on cleaning up the air rather than complying with unnecessarily complex federal laws and regulations.

And, as a former member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I am also concerned about the transportation conformity provision in current law.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome Chairman Connaughton and Administrator Holmstead and thank them for testifying before us today. I look forward to learning more about the President's Clear Skies Initiative.