Lawmakers fault State of the Union claim about emission cuts

Scripps Howard News Service

In a new challenge to the veracity of President Bush's State of the Union address, Democratic lawmakers say he misstated the facts when he said his air-pollution plan would cut dangerous power-plant emissions 70 percent by 2018.

Four Democratic House members said in a letter to Bush that a technical analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency in September 2002 - four months before the speech to Congress - concluded that the administration's "Clear Skies" proposal would cut emissions of three key pollutants by an aggregate of just under 65 percent by 2020. --

Harrison confirmed that the agency vetted the president's speech in advance and approved the statement on the Clear Skies plan. The official in charge of approving the statement was EPA Assistant Administrator Jeffrey Holmstead, who oversees air-pollution matters.

Separately, Holmstead - an attorney who represented electric-power companies before his appointment to the EPA - has been under fire from members of Congress and environmentalists who say he withheld scientific data that shows competing legislative proposals would reduce pollution more than the administration's plan.

I'm glad they still swinging

When Bush gets back from vacation, he'll have to find someone to blame for these lies.

...an attorney who represented electric-power companies before his appointment to the EPA...

There is enough falsified material in that one speech to last until November 2004.