Sen. Susan Collins has always defended the Clean Air Act strongly, the federal law authored by Maine Sen. Ed Muskie.

Collins also has made it a priority to reduce the threat of harmful mercury to our people and our wildlife. She recently voted to maintain a rule that will reduce emissions of soot and ozone across state lines.

She has always rejected the false choice of pitting the environment against the economy because she knows, here in Maine, the environment is our economy.

A recent letter claimed otherwise because of a bill that Collins has introduced, but the author confuses two very different rules of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Collins’ bill would simply give the EPA the time it says it needs to set realistic, achievable and affordable standards for industrial boilers that are protective of public health and the environment while also preserving good jobs in some of our hardest-hit rural communities.

This bill has bipartisan support and would provide businesses adequate time to comply with requirements adopted by the EPA.

Collins’ goal is simply to help the EPA protect the environment and public health while ensuring that manufacturers in Maine, and throughout the country, do not face needlessly burdensome rules at a time when so many are struggling to maintain jobs.

Kevin Kelley

Communications director

Sen. Susan Collins

Washington, D.C.