There is certainly a clear connection between environmental quality and public health.  Representative Stupak's decree that the Department of Health & Human Services has no right to consider the effects of automobile emissions on public health, but should instead focus on "providing health care for children," is the equivalent of saying we should stop focusing on preventive medicine and instead focus on  disease treatment.

Considering Detroit's history of ignoring the need to create fuel efficient vehicles while churning out high-profit low-mileage SUV's, it's hard to feel sympathetic for them.  After all, it's not like the fuel cost issue or customer demand for fuel-efficient vehicles suddenly materialized in the past year...or past decade, for that matter.  It's a good thing Detroit hasn't developed its economy around leech farming or we'd have the Bush administration forcing us to choose blood letting over antibiotics.