Laws could diminish weather extremes

We all remember the 2008 Midwest flood - the "500-year storms" that dropped 12 inches of rain above normal in areas of Illinois and damaged homes and businesses across Lake County. Now a new Environment Illinois report, "Global Warming & Extreme Weather," shows us that 2008's Midwest flood was just a taste of what's to come for Illinois unless we tackle global warming.

While no single weather event can be entirely attributed to global warming, a warming climate increases the risk that extreme weather will become even more common in the future. This summer, FEMA approved over $35.3 million in assistance to families in seven counties including Cook, Lake, Kane, and DuPage that have suffered from heavy flooding.

After the weather we've seen in 2010, it's hard to believe that Congress would consider any bill that lets polluters off the hook by blocking global warming pollution standards for some of the largest pollution sources. A bill introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, called the Dirty Air Act (S. 3072), would block the Clean Air Act's ability to clean up global warming pollution from coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and other stationary sources.

I urge Sen. Durbin and Sen. Burris to oppose the Dirty Air Act and any other measure that would delay tackling global warming.

Christine Del Priore

Midwest Federal Field Associate

Environment Illinois

Chicago