Polluter Pays Bill

Toby, Josh, Mike, and Burt reference the Polluter Pays bill during tense night talks in Toby's office. They treat it as a core legislative target tied to the House Resources hearing, where Burt plans testimony exposing Kierney-Passaic's falsified EPA reports on carcinogenic waste sites. Josh locks the door as the group weighs immunity to protect Burt and advance the bill against corporate evasion.

2 appearances

Purpose

Require corporate polluters to pay for environmental cleanup and contamination damages

Significance

Serves as political leverage and White House priority; Burt's whistleblower testimony could sway the hearing, turning scientific fraud revelations into momentum for passage amid legal risks to staff.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E18 · Privateers

Hidden Numbers, Immediate Immunity

The Polluter Pays bill is invoked as the political vehicle that would benefit from Burt's public testimony—staff see his potential appearance as leverage to pass legislation holding polluters accountable.

Before: Pending legislation under consideration by House Resources; politically actionable if insider testimony emerges.

After: Re-cast as both an opportunity and a complicating factor: achieving the bill's advantage depends on securing legal immunity first.

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S4E18 · Privateers

Immunity Panic: Burt's Criminal Jeopardy

The Polluter Pays bill is the legislative prize motivating the meeting — Toby frames Burt's testimony as crucial to passing the bill, making the legal dilemma also a political calculation.

Before: Scheduled for House Resources testimony the following day; a strategic target for staff.

After: Becomes contingent on securing Burt's immunity; its potential to be advanced is threatened or empowered depending on legal outcomes.

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