Capitol Hill Democrats say the Bush administration is moving the country backward on environmental protections. In the weekly Democratic radio address, Senator James Jeffords says Bush is "sacrificing our environment to the demands of special interests."
Jeffords is an independent who left the Republican party last year to give Democrats control of Senate. The Republicans won back control in the midterm elections.
Jeffords says Bush is giving power companies "a nice Christmas gift" in what the Vermont senator calls "the biggest weakening of the Clean Air Act" ever. Last week, the Bush administration said it plans to relax air pollution rules to allow upgrades of old plants without installing new anti-pollution gear.
Jeffords also criticized Bush for delaying a rule to cut sewage in waterways, for not giving enough money to Superfund and for allowing petroleum drilling on national land.
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