Local groups and citizens offered moving testimony and countless public comments, urging the EPA to adopt the strongest possible smog pollution standard
Washington, D.C. – Witnesses from all walks of life – including health experts, concerned parents, local leaders and environmental advocates – testified today at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Washington, D.C. regional hearing calling for the agency to strengthen the smog pollution standard and protect American communities from dirty air. Two other hearings on the standard will also take place in Arlington, Texas (today) and Sacramento, California (February 2).
The smog standard was last updated in 2008 when the Bush administration rejected the recommendations of expert scientists and medical health professionals, who warned that the now current 75 parts per billion was insufficient to protect public health. Over the past six years, scientists, medical experts, and public health advocates have consistently highlighted the need for a stronger standard and have pointed to an ever-growing body of scientific literature that demonstrates significant harm to public health, particularly in vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and those with breathing ailments like asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
The following statement was released by Mary Anne Hitt, Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign:
“Today is our chance to talk face-to-face with the people who can do something about the coughing, wheezing and frantic hospital trips that permeate the lives of asthmatics and sufferers of other lung ailments. These hearings will put faces to the statistics and show the EPA that the millions currently exposed to dirty air have names, stories and real world struggles with smog pollution.
“The Sierra Club has galvanized hundreds to speak at these EPA hearings and thousands to submit comments urging the agency to protect American families with the strongest possible smog pollution standard. They are not just asking, they are pleading for a chance to send their kids outside, or to go for a walk with an elderly parent, without an inhaler or trip to the emergency room. They are pleading because in 2008, they were ignored and it has only gotten worse since then.
“As a mother, I count on accurate labels to keep my family safe, whether it’s the expiration date on a milk carton or the SPF on my sunscreen. All people should have the same rights when it comes to the air they breathe. Medical experts widely consider 60 parts per billion (ppb) to be the best standard to inform and protect the public from the health impacts of smog pollution, and EPA should base their code red and orange air alerts on that information. Shouldn’t we give asthma suffers better safety assurances than we expect from a can of soup?”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters nationwide. In addition to creating opportunities for people of all ages, levels and locations to have meaningful outdoor experiences, the Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org.