In the past two decades of my work, I have seen the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) successfully take action to advance clean air protections that many likely now take for granted.
Guided by its mission to protect public health and the environment, the EPA tackled pollution from factories, power plants, and our transportation sector because the most vulnerable of our citizens were at risk: children, the elderly and economically disadvantaged.
EPA has made advancements at every turn, governed by strong science, and by following the letter and spirit of the Clean Air Act.
With the nomination of Scott Pruitt, a man who built his career trying to undermine EPA’s clean air efforts, we risk significantly stalling out on the progress we’ve made and jeopardizing years of advancements. Here are a few examples:
1) Diesel trucks and buses
The EPA has successfully reduced harmful particulate and ozone forming pollution from diesel trucks and buses by more than 90 percent over the last 2 decades by requiring cost-effective emissions technology and reducing the amount of sulfur allowed in diesel fuel. The significant reductions in these health harming pollutants has saved thousands of lives annually.
For the millions of American children who ride school buses, the EPA’s emission standards, engine idling guidance, and Clean School Bus program have reduced children’s exposure to harmful diesel exhaust and emissions while riding or waiting for the school bus.
2) Mercury and fish – putting kids at risk
For anyone who knows me, this strikes a particularly personal chord, as I helped launch a national campaign in 1998 to cut mercury emissions from coal plants, incinerators, and even get mercury out of kids sneakers and cereal toys.
Exposure to mercury, a neurotoxin, can be especially dangerous for developing fetuses and young children. Studies show that mercury, present in some fish, can impact the development and functioning of a young brain and nervous system. Exposure to mercury at unsafe levels can cause a range of negative health effects, including cognitive impairment and increased risk for the development of learning disabilities.
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of newborns in the US are born with potentially harmful levels of mercury in their blood every year. EPA’s studies and actions on mercury, including implementing the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards for Power Plants, have raised awareness and reduced mercury emissions significantly. And now, there’s evidence that mercury pollution levels in certain fish have decreased as industrial emissions have decreased, demonstrating the progress we can make with emission reductions.
3) Pollution in our national parks
Have you ever hiked in the Shenandoahs, The Great Smokies, Big Bend, Sequoia National Park or even Acadia National Park, reached a summit and been dismayed that the vista is severely impaired due to regional haze? The EPA took this issue head-on, setting new ozone standards, establishing monitoring programs in parks, and requiring upwind states to do their part to ensure Americans are able to experience our national parks, with healthy air to breathe and clear vistas to enjoy.
Scott Pruitt has a history of working against the EPA on these very issues and more. In at least fourteen instances, he has either initiated or joined a lawsuit against EPA, including two lawsuits against the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), and the Clean Water Rule. Millions of Americans have raised their voices in support of these and other crucial EPA safeguards to protect our air, land, and water.
We face a grave risk of turning back the clock if Scott Pruitt were confirmed to run the EPA, potentially undermining years of investment that states and industry have made to tackle these critical environmental challenges. This is a risk we cannot afford to take.
Contact your senator today and tell them to oppose the nomination of Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator.
