MEMO (CONT)

"It's so incredible that they have this denial of any responsibility for the serious situation we have in this country as far as the environment goes," Jeffords said. "They have a head-in-the-sand approach to it. They're just sloughing off the human health impacts -- the premature deaths and asthma attacks caused by power plant pollution."

The Vermont senator said he believes moderate Republicans -- such as Castle in the House and Sens. Olympia Snowe of Maine and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island -- won't go along with the plan.

Jeffords and Snowe recently introduced legislation to increase funding to fight water pollution.

"We have hopes that there are enough people in Congress who care more about the people hurt by pollution than about the money polluters give to political campaigns," Jeffords said.

The memo's statement that the link between air pollution and childhood asthma is cloudy is what really upset one leader of a group of pro-environment Republicans, including elected officials.

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