Poison Air for the New Year
Posted January 27th, 2011 by Dominique BrowningI was outraged to learn last week that some powerful politicians and lobbyists are gearing up to make it easier for polluters to poison our air. Do they really think this is a fight they can win?
Mother love is fierce. All moms know one thing: having a child cracks your heart wide open. We’ll do everything we can to keep our babies safe. But what about the things we can’t control? Basic things, like the air our children breathe. We depend on government regulations to keep the air clean. No one else can do it.
Big polluters have just announced their first battle: the toxic mercury spewed into the air by cement and coal-burning power plants. The Environmental Protection Agency wants that mercury regulated–for good reason. The polluters want to keep the poisons coming.
Mercury is really terrible stuff. It is a neurotoxin; it harms young, developing brains. As the American Academy of Pediatrics notes, “mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population.”http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;108/1/197.pdf
The EPA is asking cement plants to eliminate 16,400 pounds of mercury emissions. EPA rules would also cut 5,200 tons of other hazardous air pollutants, along with 5,900 tons of acid gases.
Cement plants have ducked regulations for years. It is time for that to stop. Of course pollution control costs money. But it saves even more money, by protecting the public’s health. Ever since the EPA began regulating pollution in 1970, under the Clean Air Act signed by President Richard Nixon, our air has gotten healthier–and our economy has gotten healthier, too.http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/e77fdd4f5afd88a3852576b3005a604f/ef62ba1cb3c8079b8525777a005af9a5!OpenDocument
Those big polluters have spent decades making exaggerated claims that regulations would hurt them. Time and again, such claims have been proven wrong. In fact, cleaning up the air actually creates jobs.
Let’s keep one thing straight: Air pollution isn’t just dirty. It is poisonous. Just because we don’t see toxic emissions doesn’t mean they aren’t hurting us–and our children.
Here’s the worst news of all: Polluters have declared war against the Clean Air Act. This fight to allow cement plants to spew mercury is only the beginning. Let’s make it clear that mothers will not tolerate poisoned air. Send a letter directly to your Congressional representatives by clicking here, and telling them the polluters can’t get away with this–and neither can they.
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Here is the text of the alert:
As a mom, I know that every attempt to roll back pollution protection is an attack on my kids’ health. Air pollution isn’t just dirty. It is poisonous. I want my children to have clean air to breathe, pure water to drink, and safe food to eat. I’m outraged that some in Congress are trying to undo new regulations that would reduce emissions of mercury and other poisons from cement plants. For the sake of my kids’ health – and the sake of kids across the country – I’m asking you to vigorously oppose this misguided bill, and all other attempts to undercut pollution protections.
2 Comments
January 29, 2011 at 5:24 pm by MonexApparently when the Environmental Protection..Agency decides its not as it has with its recent assessment of mercury…Despite its finding that mercury should be regulated as a hazardous air..pollutant the agency intends to propose weak limits for mercury pollution..from power plants failing to protect the hundreds of thousands of newborns..and children at risk each year from this dangerous neurotoxin. Environmental..Defense has just issued a new report showing why tightly controlling mercury..emissions from power plants is critical to protecting people and wildlife..- and why there is no excuse not to do so…Read the full story…Read the report Out of Control and Close to Home…Mercurial Decisions..Tighter Regulations of Power Plant Mercury Emissions a Must to Protect..Babies and Children Despite Attempts by EPA to Ease Limits……Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal that poses a major public health..threat especially to children and developing fetuses who are at risk..of brain damage and learning disabilities. Despite the health imperative..for bold action the Environmental Protection Agency EPA is preparing..to propose weaker rules for regulating mercury pollution from coal-burning..power plants…The EPA proposal would exempt mercury pollution from the more rigorous..and more timely health protections under the Clean Air Acts air toxics..program leaving hundreds of thousands of newborns and children vulnerable…..A new report from Environmental Defense Out of Control and Close to..Home shows that regulating mercury pollution from electric utilities which..are by far the largest source of mercury pollution in the United States ..is critical to protecting people fish and wildlife from dangerous contamination…Contrary to many of the countering arguments by industry spokespeople..and the Bush administration placing tight limits on mercury emissions..for power plants is clearly affordable and doable.
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January 29, 2011 at 8:18 am by MonexApparently when the Environmental Protection..Agency decides its not as it has with its recent assessment of mercury…Despite its finding that mercury should be regulated as a hazardous air..pollutant the agency intends to propose weak limits for mercury pollution..from power plants failing to protect the hundreds of thousands of newborns..and children at risk each year from this dangerous neurotoxin. Environmental..Defense has just issued a new report showing why tightly controlling mercury..emissions from power plants is critical to protecting people and wildlife..- and why there is no excuse not to do so…Read the full story…Read the report Out of Control and Close to Home…Mercurial Decisions..Tighter Regulations of Power Plant Mercury Emissions a Must to Protect..Babies and Children Despite Attempts by EPA to Ease Limits……Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal that poses a major public health..threat especially to children and developing fetuses who are at risk..of brain damage and learning disabilities.
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