February 2019 - The Trump administration’s proposed reversal of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) is a disgraceful attack on safeguards put in place to keep children and families safe from the dangers of mercury and other hazardous pollutants in our air, water and food. Andrew Wheeler, current Administrator of the EPA, recently stated that the control of mercury is not “appropriate or necessary.”
Health impacts of U.S. mercury emissions are large and disproportionately affect children and other vulnerable populations. The science is clear: mercury emission standards in place since 2011 have markedly reduced mercury in the environment and improved public health. Recent research has indicated that the benefits of these standards are greater than anticipated—and the costs of implementing the regulations are lower than expected.
The administration must be held accountable for its shameless assault on children and families through their proposed rollback of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.
ACTION: Contact your Senators and Representative. Encourage them to push back against all efforts of the administration to cripple current protections for Americans from mercury, arsenic, lead and other dangerous chemicals currently limited by MATS.
CONTACT: Your Senators and Representative
- Web: Find their names and links to their websites at senate.gov, www.house.gov; send an email or leave a message via ‘Contact’ on his/her website
- Tel: 202 224-3121 (Capitol switchboard-ask for his/her office & leave a message)
- Mail: Senator or Representative (first & last name) S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510
or U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Multiply this Message: Use this information to write a letter to the editor about this important & timely issue. This is a powerful way to educate and mobilize others—our job now & in the coming years!