President Barack Obama meets with Cabinet members and senior administration officials to determine next steps in the ongoing effort to stop the BP oil spill, contain its spread, and help affected communities, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, May 14, 2010, including Council of Environmental Quality Chair Nancy H. Sutley at the end of the table and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Munoz to the right of then Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

As we kick-off Hispanic Heritage Month this week, we’d be remiss to not look within the walls of the White House at the many talented and impressive Latinas serving the President and the American people.  They come from many backgrounds and work across many fields, but they all have one thing in common – an inspiring commitment and dedication to giving back to the community and to strengthening our nation through their many talents.

Take a moment and learn more about some of these highly accomplished women, including the highest ranking Latina in the White House, Cecilia Muñoz, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. In today’s post we also feature Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Teresa Chaurand, Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel; Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator; Stephanie Valencia, Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement; Felicia Escobar, Senior Policy Advisor for Immigration at the Domestic Policy Council; and Alejandra Campoverdi, Deputy Director of Hispanic Media.

Cecilia Muñoz serves as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs where she oversees the Obama Administration’s relationships with state and local governments, as well as the governments of tribes and territories.  Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Cecilia served as Senior Vice President for the Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization. She supervised NCLR’s policy staff covering a variety of issues of importance to Latinos, including civil rights, employment, poverty, farmworker issues, education, health, housing and immigration. Her particular area of expertise is immigration policy, which she covered at NCLR for twenty years. Ms. Muñoz is the daughter of immigrants from Bolivia and was born in Detroit, Michigan. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and her master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley. In June 2000, she was awarded a MacArthur Foundation fellowship in recognition of her work on immigration and civil rights. In 2007, she served as the Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She has received numerous other awards and recognitions from various sources, including the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and a variety of local non-profit organizations. 

Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). In her role as Chair, she serves as the principal environmental policy adviser to the President. Prior to her appointment, Sutley was the Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment for the city of Los Angeles, California. She represented Los Angeles on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and served on the California State Water Resources Control Board from 2003- 2005. Sutley also worked for California Governor Gray Davis as Energy Advisor, managing state and federal regulations, legislative affairs, finances and press relations. She served as Deputy Secretary for policy and intergovernmental relations in the California EPA from 1999-2003. She advised on water and air pollution policy, and established budget and legislative priorities. During the administration of President William J. Clinton, Sutley worked for the EPA as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Regional Administrator in San Francisco and special assistant to the Administrator in Washington, D.C.  Sutley received her Bachelors degree from Cornell University and her Master in Public Policy from Harvard University.

Teresa Chaurand serves as Special Assistant to the President in the Office of White House Presidential Personnel. She leads the Priority Placement Team which manages Presidential Personnel's relationships with various constituencies, including the Hispanic community.  Before joining the Obama Administration, Teresa served as the owner and Senior Partner of Vista Communications. Her clients included the National Council of La Raza, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, the Black and Veatch Corporation, the state of Missouri, the Missouri Department of Tourism, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, EITAS – Developmental Disability Services of Jackson County, Missouri, the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs. Her expertise is in the area of government and community relations, stakeholder involvement, marketing and talent recruitment. Prior to owning her business, Teresa served as sales manager and account representative for three top rated radio stations in Kansas City and Washington, D.C.  and was also a producer for talk radio programs in Kansas City. She holds a B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  

Victoria A. Espinel serves in the Executive Office of the President as the first ever U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator. She was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator in September 2009 and was confirmed by the Senate in December 2009. Ms. Espinel is charged with developing and implementing the Administration’s overall strategy for enforcement of intellectual property. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Espinel was a professor at the George Mason University School of Law, teaching intellectual property and international trade law. While at George Mason, she acted as an advisor on intellectual property issues to the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee. In 2009, Ms. Espinel founded Bridging the Innovation Divide, a not-for-profit foundation focused on addressing the "innovation divide" and empowering all Americans to obtain the full benefit of their creativity and ingenuity. In 2001, Ms. Espinel joined the Office of the US Trade Representative as the senior counsel for intellectual property issues. In 2005, Ms. Espinel was asked to serve as the first Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, creating the office of Intellectual Property and Innovation at USTR and serving as the chief U.S. trade negotiator for intellectual property and innovation. While at USTR, she testified on numerous occasions before the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ms. Espinel holds an LLM from the London School of Economics, a JD from Georgetown University Law School and a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

President Barack Obama talks with, from left, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett; Cecilia Muñoz, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs; Mark Zuckerman, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council; and Felicia Escobar, Senior Policy Advisor with the Domestic Policy Council, on the Colonnade of the White House, May 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Stephanie Valencia is Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.  Stephanie joined the White House in January 2009 and has led the Administration’s outreach to the Latino community, as well as to diverse communities on immigration and housing issues. Prior to joining the Administration Stephanie served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team and was Deputy Latino Vote Director on the Obama Campaign.  Stephanie also served as Press Secretary to United States Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), serving as his spokeswoman and media advisor. Stephanie also worked in the House of Representatives as Special Assistant and Press Secretary to the Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Congressman John B. Larson from Connecticut, and served as Press Secretary to Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. Stephanie started her career as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellow and is a graduate of Boston College. She is originally from Las Cruces, New Mexico and she and her husband Oscar Ramirez reside in Silver Spring. 

Felicia Escobar is Senior Policy Advisor for Immigration at the White House Domestic Policy Council.  In this role, Felicia develops the President’s strategy for building a 21^st century immigration system. This work involves coordinating efforts across the Executive branch to strengthen the current system and working toward passage of meaningful, comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Felicia previously served on U.S. Senator Ken Salazar’s legislative team, working with him to develop his legislative agenda on a host of issues including labor, civil rights, judicial nominations and immigration. Felicia advised Senator Salazar during the comprehensive immigration reform debates of 2006 and 2007 in which Senator Salazar was a key member of the bipartisan group pressing for reform. Prior to this, Felicia was Associate Director of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee. In this role, Felicia helped cultivate relationships between Democratic Leader Tom Daschle and key stakeholder groups, including Latino, immigration and education advocacy groups. Felicia started her career as a State Policy Analyst working for the National Council of La Raza. She represented NCLR and its network of affiliates in the Texas State Legislature, testifying before legislative committees to advocate for education, immigrant access to benefits, and hate crimes legislation. Felicia is a native of San Antonio, TX.  She received an undergraduate degree from Yale University, a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Alejandra Campoverdi is Deputy Director of Hispanic Media at the White House where she implements the White House’s historic efforts to engage Hispanic media nationally, working to promote the President’s agenda on television, radio, and internet-based outlets across the country. Prior to her current position, she was Special Assistant to former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Mona Sutphen. Alejandra joined Obama for America upon earning her Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was Senior Editor of Interviews for the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy. She was previously at The California Endowment (TCE), a private statewide health foundation whose mission is to expand access to healthcare for underserved communities. While at TCE, Alejandra worked on the Agricultural Worker Health Initiative, which focused on the development and implementation of programs and strategies to improve the health and living conditions of California’s agricultural workers and their families, as well as grantmaking to underserved communities in Central and Northern California. A Los Angeles native, Alejandra graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California, with a B.A. in Communications from the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

 UPDATED:

Zulima Espinel serves as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel. Ms. Espinel was appointed by President Obama to that post in April 2010.  Prior to joining the White House Counsel’s Office, Ms. Espinel worked for the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, serving as Senior Counsel for National Security from 2009-2010 and as Counsel from 2007-2009.  Ms. Espinel was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2003-2007.  Ms. Espinel received her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 2001. She graduated with honors from Barnard College in 1998.

During these tough economic times, nonprofit organizations, both faith-based and secular, are the front-line responders to communities in need.  From convening support groups and prayer services to providing child care, teaching job skills, and putting Americans back to work, these nonprofit and faith-based groups are supporting working families and individuals across the country.  

President Obama recently announced a major new proposal called the American Jobs Act and sent legislation to Congress for action.  The American Jobs Act is all about getting Americans working and putting money back in the pockets of the American people, and nonprofit organizations are a key part of this bill. 

The President recognizes that roughly one in twelve workers in the United States are employed in the nonprofit sector, which is why he made nonprofits – both faith-based and secular – a key part of this bill.  The Act will help all Americans by creating jobs now, sparking economic growth, and providing relief to millions of families.  Under the Act, all business and organizations – including nonprofits – can receive a tax credit through partnering with state entities when they hire long-term unemployed individuals or veterans.  The Act also includes an innovative entrepreneurship and wage protection program that will allow unemployed workers to receive unemployment insurance while they start new businesses – including nonprofit enterprises.  And employers won’t have to be as hesitant to hire new employees, because the American Jobs Act would cut the payroll tax in half for the first $5 million in wages, and temporarily eliminate employer payroll taxes on wages for new workers or raises for existing workers.  This is great news for many small business and nonprofit organizations.

In this morning’s Wall Street Journal, U.S. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Tom Donahue raised concerns about the American Jobs Act, and I’d like to address them here.  

The American Jobs Act includes a series of proposals that will give a boost to the economy and get Americans back to work -- the kinds of proposals that have been supported in a bipartisan way in the past. It’s a plan that not only puts money back in the pockets of middle class families, and puts workers back on the job, but also includes the kinds of proposals that economists agree will help business grow and hire.  And it’s a plan that rebuilds the economy in the American Way – based on fairness, balance and ensuring there is the same set of rules for everyone from Wall Street to Main Street.  

Mr. Donahue questions whether the plan will create jobs.  The answer is simple: yes it will. Prominent, independent experts have said that the American Jobs Act could create 1.5 million or more jobs, increase growth by as much as two percentage points next year, and lower the unemployment rate.    

And the American Jobs Act is fully paid for, not adding a dime to the deficit. We share Mr. Donahue’s concern about cutting spending and reducing our deficit. That’s why the President recently signed into law the Budget Control Act, which locked in almost a trillion dollars in cuts to discretionary spending. The American Jobs Act increases the Joint Committee’s deficit reduction target to cover the full cost of the job creation provisions. On Monday, the President will outline his vision for a balanced approach deficit reduction to the Joint Committee.   

We also share the Chamber’s goals of investing in our nation’s infrastructure. A few weeks ago, the President was joined by representatives from the Chamber and the head of the AFL-CIO – groups that usually don’t agree on much – to come together and call on Congress to extend the surface transportation bill.  And that’s why the American Jobs Act makes the investments in our nation’s infrastructure that will put construction workers back to work and rebuild and modernize our nation.    

We hear a lot from the Republican Leadership and the Chamber on the need to reduce burdensome regulations. We agree. The President ordered a government-wide review of existing federal regulations. So far, we’ve identified over 500 reforms, which will save billions of dollars over the next few years.The number of rules we’ve reviewed and issued in the first two years of this Administration is actually lower than the number of rules issued in the last two years of the Bush Administration. 

But let’s be clear. The President will continue to protect the health, safety and well-being of American families – keeping their air and water clean, food and highways safe. He fought to ensure American families have the strongest consumer protections in history and protection against being discriminated against for having a preexisting condition. Overturning these reforms might be popular with Republican special interests and donors, but they aren’t good for American families and that’s why we will keep fighting to ensure they are implemented effectively. 

We also agree with Mr. Donahue on the importance of passing three Free Trade Agreements that the President negotiated that will support tens of thousands of American jobs, supporting affordable clean energy and ensuring our visa system is fair.  

The American Jobs Act contains ideas that are supported by both Democrats and Republicans that will put people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans. It includes tax cuts. It keeps teachers in the classroom and cops on the beat. It rebuilds our roads and bridges. Bottom line, it puts Americans back to work right now.  

We should all agree is that the economy needs a boost, and that we need to do more to get the American people back to work. We hope that Mr. Donahue and the businesses his group represents will join us in this important goal for our nation.

This morning, I had the great honor of watching President Obama sign the America Invents Act at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, Virginia—a school named for the first official to issue U.S. patents.  This historic legislation will help American entrepreneurs and businesses get their inventions to the marketplace sooner so they can turn their ideas into new products and new jobs.  

The America Invents Act was passed with President Obama’s strong leadership after nearly a decade of effort to reform the Nation’s outdated patent laws.  It will help companies and inventors avoid costly delays and unnecessary litigation, and let them focus instead on innovation and job creation.  Many key industries in which the United States leads, such as biotechnology, medical devices, telecommunications, the Internet, and advanced manufacturing, depend on a strong and healthy intellectual property system.  

As President Obama explained in his 2011 State of the Union address:  “We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time.  We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.”  

On stage with President Obama was a bipartisan group of legislators who came together to pass the most significant reform of the Patent Act since 1836:  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX); Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA); Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA); and Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC). Today’s bill signing shows that strong bipartisan cooperation is possible. Congress can come together on behalf of the American economy and American innovation.  

The newly-signed law has a number of important transformations that will build on reforms already underway under the leadership of the US Patent and Trademark Office's dynamic Director David Kappos. The law will give the USPTO the resources to significantly reduce patent application waiting times, building on the great strides the patent office has already made, including reducing its backlog by 75,000 during this Administration even as the number of filings per year has increased.  

A few months ago, Austan Goolsbee (then Chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers) created a video explaining why reducing the backlog will help get more ideas turned into companies and jobs. The USPTO will now be in a position to implement an innovative program to speed up the processing of the patents that are likely to create good jobs right away. Under the prioritized examination process, the USPTO will offer start-ups and growing companies an opportunity to have important patents reviewed in one-third the time with a new fast-track option that has a guaranteed 12-month turnaround.  

The program builds on the Green Technology Pilot program that accelerates patent applications involving reduced greenhouse gas emissions and energy conservation — at no cost to the inventor. More than 2,407 petitions have been granted to green technology patent applicants since the pilot began in December 2009, and USPTO has issued a total of 470 patents under the program.  

Excessive litigation has long plagued the patent system.  The America Invents Act will offer entrepreneurs new ways to avoid litigation regarding patent validity, without the expense of  going to court, and will also give the USPTO new tools and resources to improve patent quality. The new law also will harmonize the American patent process with the rest of the world to make it more efficient and predictable, and make it easier for entrepreneurs to simultaneously market products in the United States and for exporting abroad.  

President Barack Obama examines a robot created in the school’s prototyping and robotics senior research labs at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., Sept. 16, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

At Thomas Jefferson High School, President Obama also announced some of the additional steps we’re taking to unleash the ingenuity of America’s entrepreneurs.  The National Institutes of Health will launch a new center that will help companies reduce the time and cost required to develop life-saving drugs, and is making it easier for startups to commercialize the biomedical inventions made by NIH and FDA researchers.  In addition, the Administration will develop a “bioeconomy blueprint” to create jobs and address key national challenges in health, energy, and agriculture.

We also know that government cannot do this alone. That’s why 140 university presidents have answered the Administration’s call to action to move research breakthroughs from the lab to the marketplace.  We’re also announcing a new prize supported by the National Science Foundation and the Coulter Foundation to reward those universities that make the most progress on accelerating economic growth and job creation. 

Now more than ever, the jobs of the future will spring from the inventions of today, which will be built on the foundation of a strong and balanced intellectual property system. As President Obama explained today, “We should be encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit wherever we find it.  We should be helping American companies compete and sell their products all over the world.  We should be making it easier and faster to turn new ideas into new businesses and new jobs.  And we should knock down any barriers that stand in the way.”  

Have questions on the America Invents Act? Today, US Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra will be answering your questions with USPTO Director David Kappos during an Open for Questions event on WhiteHouse.gov. Join us live at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 16th. Here's how it works and how you can participate:

• Use the hashtag #WHChat on Twitter to ask your questions on the America Invents Act
• Watch and ask your questions through the White House Live Facebook App
• Tune in live on WhiteHouse.gov/live

Ed note: The following is cross-posted from the Department of Transportation blog

Last night, the U.S. Senate followed the House and voted to extend authority for the Federal Aviation Administration and our nation's surface transportation programs to continue operating.  Passing this legislation keeps hundreds of thousands of men and women on the job.  For commuters, truck drivers, and air travelers, it will allow critical road, transit, and airport projects to move forward. 

Our surface transportation law provides money to the states for thousands of transportation projects currently under construction around the country.   The hundreds of thousands of workers on road and transit project job sites across America will all breathe a little easier this weekend without the threat of a shutdown looming over them. And our valuable professionals at the FAA will be able to go about their business of modernizing our airports and researching new and better ways to run the best aviation system in the world.

The United States is engineered for innovation. Economic competition may be tougher than ever. But whether curing diseases, soaring into an age of flight, or navigating the digital age from the palms of our hands, it is American inventors who have led the world to historic discovery. And in the years to come, these inventors will continue to unleash tidal waves of new jobs in new industries.  

In order to write the next chapters of growth and remain the world’s chief global competitor, we must embolden our role as the world’s inventive visionaries. We must smartly and immediately invest in the very infrastructure that fosters the American innovative potential.

That’s why it’s so exciting that President Obama today is signing the historic Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.

I’ve had the unique opportunity to hear directly from store owners, entrepreneurs, and inventors from coast to coast over the past several months. One thing remains certain:  there is no shortage of great ideas in America. 

But there are barriers to getting those ideas off the ground.  Reforming the U.S. patent system will enable businesses of all sizes to obtain clearer and more reliable intellectual property rights in a more expedient fashion, so they can attract investments, develop their products, and hire employees sooner.

Since the founding of our Nation, well-defined and secure patent rights have enabled creative thinkers to protect their ideas. But in the past 50 years we have seen more technological advancements than in any point in history, with no comprehensive patent reform to keep up. The America Invents Act equips the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to streamline and modernize its operations while strengthening IP protections.

For investors, patents are strong indicators of market potential for new companies. And for inventors, they are essential to attracting the venture capital to develop and distribute their products to society. An efficiently operating IP system that processes applications and issues high-quality patents quickly is especially vital to small and new businesses, which create two out of every three new American jobs.

 By transitioning to a simpler, more objective, and more inventor-friendly system of issuing patents, the new Act helps ensure that independent inventors and small entities have greater clarity and certainty over their property rights and will be able to navigate the patent system on a more equitable footing with large enterprises.

The Act also establishes a new in-house review process for challenging patents—a process that is faster and significantly cheaper than litigation, which too often stymies technological growth. By resolving disputes about patent rights earlier, more efficiently, and at lower cost, we can  add greater certainty to—and cultivate greater confidence it—the American patent system.

That confidence, in turn, will invite more companies to do business in the United States and inspire individuals to work towards the next great medical and technological  breakthroughs that will ensure America’s leadership for decades to come.

Have questions on the America Invents Act? Today, I'll be answering your questions with USPTO Director David Kappos during an Open for Questions event on WhiteHouse.gov. Join us live at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 16th. Here's how it works and how you can participate:

• Use the hashtag #WHChat on Twitter to ask your questions on the America Invents Act
• Watch and ask your questions through the White House Live Facebook App
• Tune in live on WhiteHouse.gov/live

Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President  took his American Jobs Act to Richmond, Virginia, Columbus, Ohio, and Raleigh, North Carolina, traveled to all three memorial sites on the 10th anniversary of September 11th, and presented the Medal of Honor to former active duty Marine, Dakota Meyer, for his extraordinary actions in Afghanistan.

That's September 9th to September 15th or "Pass This Bill!"

First Lady Michelle Obama and a Darden Restaurants chef greet attendees at an Olive Garden restaurant in Hyattsville, Maryland, Sept. 15, 2011. Mrs. Obama and Darden Restaurants were unveiling the company's plans for a comprehensive new health and wellness initiative for menu changes to support the Let's Move! campaign. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

As part of the Let's Move! initiative, this morning First Lady Michelle Obama joined Partnership for a Healthier America, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and other family chains owned by Darden Restaurants to announce a commitment from Darden to reduce calories and sodium in their meals and to provide healthier options in their kids’ menus.

In America today, one of every two dollars spent on food is spent in restaurants, and over one-third of calories consumed in America are eaten at restaurants, so providing nutritious choices in restaurants goes a long way in keeping families healthy. At an Olive Garden in Hyattsville, Maryland, the First Lady explained the significance of this announcement:

Often, parents assume that when a restaurant offers a separate kids’ menu that the food on that menu will actually be good for their kids.  They assume that the portion sizes will be reasonable.  They assume that the food will be just as nutritious as food that they prepare for their kids at home.

But too often, that’s simply not the case.  Research has shown that meals kids eat at restaurants have nearly twice the calories as meals they have at home.  And for some options on kids’ menus, they have more than 1,000 calories.  One thousand calories -- that’s approaching the recommended daily amount of [calories] that you guys should be eating, right? 

Over the past four decades, the Clean Air Act has proven to be an invaluable tool in our nation’s efforts to reduce dangerous air pollution and promote public health. The track record of the Clean Air Act also shows that strong environmental safeguards and strong economic growth go hand in hand.  

In fact, the history of the Clean Air Act clearly shows that its benefits – in the form of longer lives, healthier kids, greater workforce productivity and ecosystem protections – have outweighed the costs by more than 30 to 1. And in the time since the Clear Air Act was passed, air pollution has been reduced by more than 60 percent and the Gross Domestic Product of the United States has grown by more than 200 percent.

To build on the successes of the Clean Air Act, the Obama Administration has taken the most aggressive steps in a generation to protect the health of American families by reducing harmful pollution. Our actions to date, both historic and comprehensive, include new standards for cleaner, more efficient vehicles, common-sense regulations to curb pollution from power plants and industrial sources and efforts to deploy cleaner sources of energy across the country.  

Despite the compelling record of the Clean Air Act, some still believe that we cannot clean up pollution, create jobs and grow our economy all at the same time.  

Just this week, House Republicans voted on two separate bills that would roll back existing Clean Air Act public health protections. Notably, these bills would indefinitely delay the health benefits associated with rules that establish national limits on emissions of toxic air pollution – like mercury – from a variety of sources, including incinerators, industrial boilers and cement plants.  

Let’s take a closer look at what these bills would mean for American families:  

H.R. 2250, the “EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011”

According to EPA’s analysis, this bill would allow up to:  

• 20,000 additional premature deaths;
• 12,000 additional heart attacks; and
• 123,000 additional asthma attacks that could have been avoided.

H.R. 2681, the “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011”

According to EPA’s analysis, this bill would allow tens of thousands of adverse health effects from particulate matter exposure alone, including up to:  

• 12,500 additional premature deaths;
• 7,500 additional heart attacks; and,
• 85,000 additional asthma attacks that could have been avoided.

Efforts like these to halt important safeguards for Americans are based on claims we have heard before, claims that EPA standards are harmful to the economy and employment. But based on the Clean Air Act’s forty year history, this Administration rejects the notion that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are two conflicting goals.  

Families should never have to choose between a job and healthy air, because they deserve both. That’s why we will fight against attempts to weaken and undermine the Clean Air Act moving forward, and continue to build on our strong record of clean air achievements to date.