Press Release
 

Susan Vento Speaks Against Asbestos Bill

Five Other Groups Join C.P.M.V. Event

WASHINGTON D.C. — Susan Vento, Chair of the Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims, discussed the current state of Congressional asbestos legislation at a press conference today. Her remarks follow.

More information (pdf files, requiring Adobe Acrobat 7.0):

• C.P.M.V. Advisory, Release, and Factsheet
• N.T.U. News Release
• Public Citizen Factsheet
• Public Citizen News Release

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Hello and welcome. I am Susan Vento, Chair of the Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims. I'd like to thank you all for coming to support us during this very important time when some members of Congress are working to pass legislation that would cause so much hurt to so many Americans; asbestos victims, taxpayers, and businesses alike.

Today, I am here with my friends and colleagues working towards the same end: to ensure that our voices are heard on the Senate floor. Here with me today are Linda Reinstein of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization; Jillian Aldebron of Public Citizen; Jeff Dircksen of the National Taxpayers Union; Richard Wiles of the Environmental Working Group; and William Fay of the Coalition for Asbestos Reform.

We are here today not to tell you lies about how this bill will help victims; lies about how this bill is good for business; or lies about how this is our last chance to resolve the asbestos crisis.

We are here to tell you the truth about the asbestos trust fund bill, ironically called the FAIR Act; we are here to tell you the truth about what REAL people living with asbestos-related diseases, REAL taxpayers, and REAL small businesses know is truly FAIR.

While many people in Washington call the asbestos trust fund bill a "reform bill," I can only wish this bill WAS truly about reform. Regrettably, this bill is solely about limiting the liability of big business.

The most telling evidence that this bill is not about reform is that it does nothing to increase awareness of Americans regarding the very real risks asbestos poses in our daily lives. 80 percent of Americans believe asbestos has been banned and isn't a risk to them. While this bill contains a limited ban, will the ban be included in House's version? Will it be in the bill signed by the President?

That's just one of many questions victims and families have about this bill. After months and months of meetings and discussions, this asbestos bailout bill poses more questions than answers and adds insult and injury to asbestos victims and their families who have been insulted and injured so personally.

This issue is personal for me, as it is for many others who are here today. My late husband Bruce was a congressman from Minnesota from 1977 until his death in 2000. He died of mesothelioma on October 10 of that year, 8 ½ months after diagnosis. During those 8 ½ months, Bruce battled this disease with endless, tireless determination.

Recent debates on this bill have centered on the viability of a $140 billion fund - will the money be there and will it be enough? Just this week Bates White economic firm released a report detailing a potentially $90 billion error in the CBO report — this has not even been considered by Congress in their negotiations.

And yesterday, while speaking in favor of his bill on the floor of the Senate, Senator Arlen Specter, the author of S. 852, said he has included a provision in the bill, and I quote, "SO THAT IF IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO EXCEED THE $140 BILLION, WE CAN MAKE MODIFICATIONS IN THE MEDICAL STANDARDS AND CRITERIA TO STAY WITHIN THE $140 BILLION."

Through this, and many other statements, it is clear to victims and their families that the authors of this bill have anticipated a funding shortfall. That when the fund runs low, they will simply make the medical criteria more difficult for victims and those few victims who are able make that hurdle will be given even smaller amounts of compensation.

Some of the folks inside the Beltway often tell those of us from outside the Beltway that the devil is always in the details. Undoubtedly there will be lots of debate about the details of this bill in the coming days.

However, the devil doesn't ALWAYS hide in the details:

• It is clear that this bill neglects students exposed to asbestos in our schools
• It neglects those Americans living and working in literally dozens of asbestos hot spots around the country who deserve the same justice as our friends in Libby, Montana
• It ignores the future needs for of those who survived 9/11 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita but face uncertain futures due to related exposures to asbestos
• It does not provide the funding needed to meet the needs of the victims and their families
• And it fails the transparency test — we, the victims and families, are not allowed to see the "secret list" of who would be paying into the fund. I doubt that revealing the "secret list" would pose a national security threat, so, when do we get to see it, Senator Specter? Senator Leahy?

The misinformation will continue: In the coming days, we will hear again and again that seventy or eighty companies have gone bankrupt — whatever this week's talking-point-number might be. Reporters, please look into those numbers. Many of these are very profitable companies like Halliburton and W.R. Grace who simply used bankruptcy laws to limit their liability and to avoid their financial and moral obligations to the people whose lives they've destroyed.

This bill is flawed in the details included in the bill, in the details not included in the bill, in small ways and in big ways. Perhaps what's most flawed is the title — "FAIR." It's anything BUT fair for the victims and their families. The asbestos victims and their families haven't had $144.5 million to spend lobbying against this bill during the last two years. We don't have 168 lobbyists working on our behalf.

But in the words of Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

And indeed, we are determined to ensure that those who are stricken with these fatal diseases today and in the future — and there will be thousands — will not have to endure further injury and injustice by their government or the corporations who have perpetuated these crimes.

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The Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims (CPMV) is an organization founded by asbestos victims and their families and friends. CPMV works to raise awareness on national asbestos issues and ensure that victims' rights are properly represented and protected on both a local and national level. For more information, www.asbestostruth.org.