Washington state Rep. Ed Orcutt (R–Kalama), a ranking member of the State Transportation Committee, is apologizing this week- for saying that bicyclists cause pollution just by breathing.
Orcutt is in favor of a proposed 5 percent tax on bicycles that cost over $500. When a bike shop owner emailed him to say the tax discourages shoppers from buying local, Orcutt responded that bike riders have an “increased heart rate and respiration,” the act of riding a bike “results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider.”
The Huffington Post reached out to Orcutt’s office and has the story.