climate change bill

Stay in contact with your elected officials and let them know that you want stricter short-term targets in the proposed climate bill.

About 40% of U.S. Homes contain lead-based paint; Recovery Act money will help clean it up.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—May was a busy month as far as environmental policy and human health is concerned. A landmark climate bill moved a step forward (big news, since a new study just attributed 300,000 deaths a year to global warming—that’s right, it’s happening now); the government allotted some serious cash to get lead out of U.S. homes (awesome, we’d say, because the heavy metal is especially harmful to children); and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced stricter use for certain types of pesticides, although it’s not banning them.

Here’s a recap of some of the latest ecopolicy issues:

• HUD to get the lead out. In mid-May, Vice President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would make nearly $100 million available through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding to clean up dangerous lead in housing across the country (mostly in urban areas). Lead is particularly dangerous to babies in the womb and young children because overexposure can lead to learning disabilities and even brain damage, but it can also be harmful to adults. Even low amounts can double your risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke, and similar levels could cause memory problems. The money will help 53 local programs in 20 states and Washington, DC, targeting the elimination of lead-based paint in homes. Currently, about 40 percent of homes in the country contain lead from paint, something Biden calls “unacceptable.” Check out lead mitigation projects slated for your state.

• Climate bill moves out of committee. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), put together by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.), took a step forward, to the delight and aggravation of some environmental and health advocates. The legislation, known generally as the cap-and-trade bill, moved out of the Committee of Energy and Commerce in May. While acknowledging it’s an historic step forward, many environmental powerhouses, such as Greenpeace, think the short-term reduction targets set for 2020, are way too loose. The bill will likely be in and out of other committees, and groups like The Sierra Club say they’re hoping to work with lawmakers to strengthen the bill (make polluters pay for carbon pollution to fund clean-energy investments, for example) before it hits the House floor in late summer.