New Castle, New Hampshire - Today General Wes Clark announced the second component of his Turnaround Plan for America.

Clark focused on the environmental problems we face: "Under George W. Bush, America's environmental policies - especially those that regulate the quality of our air - are written by polluters, for polluters."

"Today, one thing is very clear," Clark insisted. "We cannot trust George W. Bush with the air we breathe." At the moment, 175 million Americans live in areas where air pollution is so severe, it's considered hazardous to human health. Each year, pollution-related illnesses cause Americans to miss five million days of work. And air pollution causes 30,000 premature deaths.

New Hampshire is downwind of Midwestern coal-fired power plants, so citizens here breathe pollution from states as distant as Illinois, in addition to the soot and smog emitted in-state. This pollution has given New Hampshire one of the highest rates of asthma in the nation. According to the Sierra Club, last year, more than 1,500 asthma attacks occurred, costing New Hampshire workers 13,500 days of work. The American Lung Association has given Hillsborough and Rockingham counties failing grades for air quality.

New Hampshire also suffers from severe mercury pollution. According to the EPA, the levels of toxic air pollutants exceed their federal safety benchmark in every county in New Hampshire, contributing to high levels of mercury in waterways. New Hampshire has one of the highest concentrations of mercury pollution in New England, primarily due to coal-fired power plants. Mercury causes birth defects when consumed by pregnant women.

"We need a president who protects the public's health, not polluter's pocketbooks," Clark said. "That's exactly the kind of President I will be."

Clark's Clean Air Plan will reduce air pollution, and prevent more than 100,000 premature deaths and more than two million asthma attacks through the year 2020, including 240 in New Hampshire. Details of the plan are attached. Here are the highlights:

• Set tough standards. Start with some of our biggest polluters - power plants. Plus, demand that the EPA fully implement the Clean Air Act.

• Crack down on corporate polluters. Put the environmental cop back on the beat. Restore EPA inspections and personnel. Strictly enforce every single rule on the book. Stiffen fines for polluters and double fines for repeat offenders.

• Use American know-how and market-based approaches. Develop new incentives to reduce pollution, invest in new technologies, and give states the freedom to implement innovative pollution-control policies.

• Restore trust in our environmental programs. The Bush Administration violated that trust, withholding key information from the American people and making energy policy behind locked doors. Clark will tell the American people the unvarnished truth about threats to our environment and make America the world's leader in tackling climate change and developing effective alternative energy technologies.

"Americans deserve a president they can trust with their future, a president who understands that security means more than the projection of military might," Clark concluded. "America needs a president who will protect our borders and our environment. I intend to be that president."

Yesterday in Contoocook, Clark set his first benchmark for success-a commitment to increase average family income by $3,000 during his first term.

On Wednesday in Somersworth, Clark will concentrate on education and announce his plan to ensure that an additional one million students have access to higher education. Clark will travel to New York City on Thursday, where he will talk about his plan to lift 2 million children out of poverty. In Tennessee on Friday, Clark will explain his plan to extend coverage to 30 million Americans who currently lack health care.