Defend the Clean Air Act

Dear Editor:

We have always known the Rocky Mountain sun is strongest, yet the term “sauna” is a new addition to Aspen’s summer. Recent news reports global warming is among us as 2010 posts the hottest summer on record. Record highs are attributed to increased air pollution and raise significant concerns for our public health.

The Clean Air Act has been the primary tool used to protect our air quality from fossil fuel polluters in the past and is currently being threatened by the Dirty Air Act. West Virginia’s Sen. Rockefeller is expected to bring the Dirty Air Act to the Senate floor this September, which would strip the Clean Air Act of its efficacy.

We must defend the Clean Air Act by showing our senators that our nation’s vested interest lies in protecting our public health and that as we approach the Clean Air Act’s 40th anniversary we should be celebrating its accomplishments, not undermining its future on behalf of the world’s largest polluters.

Julia Ritchie

Aspen