Thursday, June 12, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Letters

Can't breathe? Blame Bush

The Bush administration recently announced its intent to relax air pollution laws affecting 17,000 of the nation's oldest and dirtiest power plants, oil refineries and other industries. The announcement sparked protest from environmental advocates, the American public and lawmakers who consider the plan a concession to big industry that would harm parks and people.

The Environmental Protection Agency in June announced new rules that would weaken the current New Source Review laws requiring industry to install up-to-date pollution controls when expansion or repairs increase pollution, with provisions to protect parks, wilderness and people, as ordered under the Clinton administration.

Park and public health advocates view the Bush administration action as the worst attack on the Clean Air Act in the law's 32-year history. The proposed rollback of the Clean Air Act would result in more pollution in America's parks and communities. The Bush administration is taking care of the big polluters, not America's parks, wilderness and communities where America's citizens live.

"The Clear Skies Initiative" creates a smokescreen for the rollbacks of the Clean Air Act. While the science and regulation of the air pollution can be complex, one thing is quite simple: We must do more, not less, to protect the parks and people from air pollution. For three years now, this administration has been going in the wrong direction.

--John Marchese

Agnes Fliff finally gets some letters

Whoever "Agnes Fliff" is, I'm surprised that an "alternative" medium promotes gay-bashing (re: "her" June 5 comments on the perhaps-not-gay Clay Aiken). Does "alternative" to you mean "to the right of Dick Armey and Bob Barr"? Just sayin'.

--D.B.

We need people like Clay Aiken to make us forget about people like you in this world. God forgive you.

--Trish Coppellotti

Tell Agnes Fluff to look at herself in the mirror and use the kind of language she did in her article. She's a disgrace to you and your magazine.

--Barb Heil