In Defense of the Clean Air Act

By Kristine Kostuck
Contributing Writer

With the health care reform passed, more passionate citizens are taking a much-needed break from political protests. But Thursday the 8th brought a handful of MSUM students and other youth to the front of Senator Dorgan’s office, fighting to keep the rights of the Clean Air Act in progress, as well as to sway Senators Dorgan and Conrad to vote for the upcoming bill that will be presented to congress within weeks.

The protesters, some holding umbrellas to demonstrate the effects of global warming, were fully aware that without the Clean Air Act, our country cannot move forward with wind and solar energy advancements. The Clean Air Act has been one of the most influential pieces in congress when taking environmental matters into consideration, since it went into full effect in 1970. In past years, it has affected the reduction of air pollution, which causes acid rain and ozone damage. Some would argue that it has damaged corporations and has increased unemployment.

Recently, there has been talk of amending the act because of these debatable issues.

However, more and more people are starting to recognize the environment as crucial. Recent statistics presented by a group member of Repower North Dakota, a national organization promoting clean renewable energy, showed 70 percent of Americans are in favor of using wind or solar to power homes, businesses, schools and transportation. The other 30% still need some convincing. “You can’t tell someone that the earth is falling apart if they don’t believe it is, they just won’t make the needed changes, but if we get enough people behind it, I think people will eventually say, why haven’t we been doing things this way all along,” said Miller Resor, a passionate energy activist who works for the group Repower North Dakota.

Recently, Resor heard that the bill of Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman would specify ways to clean the air and create green jobs. If passed, manufacturers can expect a wide cap on the carbon emissions, citizens will see a tax on fuel and the use of coal, oil, farming and landscape drilling, will degenerate with time. Resor thinks that this is no doubt a step forward, with the slow process environmental cleanup will take, but he also thinks the damage our climate has undergone over the years, also needs to be recognized in the bill.

It seems we have to pay a price for pollution before we see it as a problem; at least that is what Resor thinks. It is hard to consider more changes that will promote higher taxes when congress has just passed the health reform. This is why Sondra Sauers, the North Dakota regional coordinator for the organization 1 Sky headed the protest and walkthrough at Dorgan’s office. “We want it to be known that the public supports this bill and the Clean Air Act. Someone once told me that you have to let your commandants know what you believe, this is not an issue we can just keep pushing off for the next generation,” she said.

North Dakota’s 1 Sky and Repower hope to impact the senators’ vote when they get back from recess next week. They are aware that this process could take 50 years before it is in full affect.

Both groups see the bill as chance to make a strong impact with a positive outcome, even if it is changing one of the largest world industries, one that America has become conveniently accostumed to. “We have an all-you-can-eat energy buffet now, “ said Resor, “We don’t even think about what it will be like when the prices of gas and oil rise because we are slowing running out of resources. Everyone cared that one summer when gas was expensive—they drove less.” At risk of disintegrating the economy, again, both Resor and Sauers see a change as common sense: We have to try something different.

Resor and Sauers are both very passionate about energy this has come from their own experiences. Sauers can remember growing up in Western North Dakota and touring the tall, smokestacked oil refineries, then coming home and talking it about it with her parents. “They instilled it in me that their generation saw pollution as a problem but it was overlooked, it can’t be pushed off any longer,” she said.

Resor’s drive started when he was in college but was very affected after his travels to Northern Africa. “There were so many wars going on right on top of oil wells. These things are causing problems that we don’t even know about, this is what creates terrorism and we can actually do something about it,” he said.

You do not have to be influenced at a young age or have a personal experience to know we only have one climate, one chance under one sky. If you are interested in joining 1 Sky contact Sauers at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). She is always looking for supportive members to rebuild the North Dakota base, to raise awareness and local governmental support during this time of change that will affect generations to come.

“Our senators are key, they are both modern democrats in a coal state, they are just the people who would have a hard time deciding what to do on these issues,” said Resor.

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