About this episode
During a slow week in the House of Representatives, inhalers are given relief, airlines are forced to ignore a European carbon law, and trade with Russia is "normalized." *Mistake in CD003: Pete Sessions, not Jeff Sessions. * Hazardous Waste Manifest was bill signed into law during recess. H.R. 6190 - Asthma Inhalers Relief Act of 2012 (Sponsored by Rep. Michael Burgess / Energy and Commerce Committee) From FDA website: Epinephrine CFC Metered-dose Inhalers - Questions and Answers Epinephrine CFC metered-dose inhalers used to treat asthma (known as Primatene Mist or Epinephrine Mist) cannot be made or sold in the United States after December 31, 2011. 4. What other inhalers can I use for my asthma? There are inhalers that contain other medicines that can treat asthma, such as albuterol HFA inhalers. Hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs) are different propellants (spray) than CFCs. You will need a doctor's prescription to buy these. 10. Why are over-the-counter epinephrine CFC inhalers being phased out? Manufacturers use chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, as propellants (spray) in these inhalers to move the medicine out of the inhaler so patients can breathe the medicine into their lungs. The United States signed an international agreement, called the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer4 along with many other countries. These countries promised to make it illegal to make or sell substances that decrease the ozone layer, including CFCs, after certain dates. 12. Is it safe for epinephrine users to "purchase sufficient" amounts of Primatene Mist to use following the phase out date of December 31, 2011? Epinephrine users can use the product after December 31 because the product phase-out only applies to the manufacture and sale of the product after December 31. If you haven't used up your Primatene Mist by Dec. 31, 2011, it's safe to continue using it as long as it hasn't expired. Summary of H.R. 6190: The Give Me My Damn Inhaler Act (a) In General- The Environmental Protection Agency -- (1) shall allow for the distribution, sale, and consumption in the United States of remaining inventories of CFC epinephrine over-the-counter inhalers. (2) shall not take any enforcement action or otherwise seek to restrict the distribution, sale, or consumption of such inhalers on the basis of any Federal law implementing the Montreal Protocol. (3) shall give any company who sells these over-the-counter inhalers a No Action Assurance Letter stating that the Environmental Protection Agency will not bust you prior to August 1, 2013. S. 1956 - European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011 (Sponsored by Sen. John Thune / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) November 12, 2012: The European Union announced they are postponing the imposition of the Emissions Trading Scheme until 2014, making this bill unnecessary. The bill prohibits airlines from complying with European law, preventing them from paying taxes on carbon emissions the European Union MIGHT enact in 2014. Henry Waxman (CA) If we bar the airlines from complying, they will incur steep pen-alties estimated at over $20 billion by 2020. The Thune bill then says the gov-ernment is going to have to hold the airlines harmless from this cost. That means that taxpayers may be on the hook for over $20 billion, although the bill also limits the use of appropriated funds. Or the hold harmless provision would force the Secretary to use exist-ing authority to require European air-lines to pay the fees to compensate the U.S. airlines. Rather than doing something con-structive about global warming, we are going to ignite a trade war with the Europeans. Has now passed both Houses of Congress and is on its way to the President's desk. H.R. 6156 - Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Dave Camp / Ways and Means Committee / Foreign Affairs Committee) A free trade bill with Russia, that does nothing for Russia; it opens the 142 million person market to multi-national corporations. The bill also prohibits certain Russian murderers from getting U.S. visas and freezes any bank accounts they may hold in the United States. Passed the House, now moves into the Senate.