EPA’s New Standards Cut Mercury Emissions by 90%

Powering our homes should not expose our children to dangerous air pollution. Yet, many power plants across the country continuously spew tons of dangerous pollutants like soot, smog, and mercury into our air, putting children’s health at risk. These pollutants are linked to cancer, heart disease, neurological damage, birth defects, asthma attacks, and even premature death.

 

While air quality has significantly improved over the years, thanks in large part to clean air protections, toxic pollution from power plants contributes to one out of every ten women of childbearing age having enough mercury in her body to put her child at risk of neurological damage—including developmental disorders, learning disabilities, and lower IQs—should she become pregnant.

 

Thankfully, in December 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the first-ever nationwide standard for mercury and toxic air pollution from power plants. It will cut mercury emissions by 90%. The EPA also recently finalized another standard to cut soot and smog pollution from power plants. Together, these standards are expected to save thousands of lives every year.

 

But some in Congress—backed by industry lobbyists—are working overtime to pass bills to rollback the EPA’s authority to clean up soot, smog, and mercury pollution from power plants and other sources. In order to protect public health, we need our Senators to stand up to major polluters and oppose any efforts to rollback clean air protections.

Urge both your Senators to vote against any bills to block, weaken, or rollback the Clean Air Act. Point out that clean air and the new EPA standards to reduce mercury, soot, and smog are important to you—and to our nation’s children. Ask them to fully support the EPA’s first-ever nationwide standard for mercury and toxic air pollution, and its new standard to regulate soot and smog from power plants.

 

Via their websites:  www.senate.gov

Telephone: 202 224-3121 (senate switchboard)

Write: Senator (first & last name)

U. S. Senate

Washington, DC 20510

 

Thanks to Environment America for their work on this card.

 

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Photo credit:  I Love, Gatineau Park, Quebec, Canada, Dec. 9, 2011, Tim Irvin