Clean Air Advocates Want Congress to Take a Deep Breath

Washington, DC — This week, children, seniors, people with chronic illness and other at-risk Americans, some who live in dangerously polluted communities, will have a voice in Congress as advocates descend on Capitol Hill in support of clean air standards that reduce harmful air pollution and endanger public health; standards that are under attack by polluters and their allies in Congress.

As part of The Clean Air Act: Reducing Pollution, Saving Lives Conference they come from all walks of life, from more than 10 states and are armed with personal stories and community statistics about the public health and economic benefits of clean air. They are going door-to-door in the halls of Congress urging elected officials to take a deep breath and consider the harm they are doing before they undermine any clean air protections that improve the quality of the air we all breathe.

“Coal-fired power plants and other polluters are pushing an agenda that rolls back and prevents standards for cleaning up the air we breathe, lets polluters off the hook, and puts the rest of us at higher risk for serious illnesses,” said Hilary O. Shelton, NAACP Washington Bureau Director and Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy. “Many low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected by pollution from nearby coal plants. We are here to tell Congress to take a deep breath before they roll back the Clean Air Act, and think about what they are doing to children, families and senior citizens, and our nation’s most vulnerable communities.”

These advocates, organized by a coalition of 10 diverse organizations, are asking members of Congress to oppose efforts to block clean air standards that would reduce air pollution from mercury, greenhouse gases, ozone, and harmful toxics like arsenic, soot, and other substances emitted by power plants and other polluters.

“This is a public health issue and all Americans have a stake in it,” said Brenda Afzal, MS, RN, HCWH, U.S. Climate Policy Coordinator, Health Care Without Harm. “Air pollution is linked to some of the nation’s most prevalent health conditions, including asthma, and it exacerbates chronic conditions like heart and lung disease.”

Addressing emissions of mercury and other toxics would have similar health and economic benefits, including the prevention of as many as 17,000 premature deaths, 11,000 heart attacks, 120,000 asthma attacks and about 11,000 cases of acute bronchitis among children annually.

Cleaning up ozone can save thousands of lives each year and helps us rebuild our economy. The Clean Air Act has fostered a long period of economic development and has fueled job growth—1.3 million jobs were created by the Clean Air Act between 1977 and 1991. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that between 4,000 and 12,000 lives could be saved each year in the United States by cleaning up ozone pollution to 60 ppb (particulars per billion, a standard measurement of air pollutants). In addition, a 60 ppb standard will prevent 58,000 asthma attacks and 21,000 hospital and emergency room visits annually.

Millions of people live in communities where the air is routinely unsafe to breathe. The American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report shows nearly half of Americans live in areas with unhealthy ozone levels and 1 in 5 Americans live in areas with dangerous particulate pollution causing hospitalizations, missed work days and early deaths.

“Additionally the Clean Air Act has ushered in years of technological innovation, job creation and expanded U.S. exports—things that benefit small businesses and lay the foundation for long-term economic growth,” stated John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority. “Recent efforts in Congress to rollback the Clean Air Act have jeopardized the years of success this law has created along with the financial and economic advantages passed on to our country’s primary job creators and the millions small businesses employ.”

“The Clean Air Act, which has helped improved our air quality and human health since its passage in 1970, has been an invaluable tool to carryout out our call to steward God’s earth. The recently proposed improvements to the Clean Air Act can save thousands of lives and protect the health of God’s Creation for future generations. We are meeting with policymakers this week to demonstrate the broad support among all Americans and people of faith to protect the public, particularly vulnerable populations, from air pollution and oppose efforts to weaken, postpone or prevent implementation of the Clean Air Act,” said Cassandra Carmichael, Director of the National Council of Churches Washington Office and Eco-Justice Programs.

The Clean Air Act: Reducing Pollution, Saving Lives Conference participating organizations include the American Lung Association, Consumers Union, Health Care Without Harm, Interfaith Power and Light, League of Women Voters, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Council of Churches, National Latino Coalition on Climate Change, Small Business Majority, and US Climate Action Network.

For more information about the conference, please contact:
David DiMartino at 202-247-7271 or dd@ddmediallc.com

Tyler Edger, National Council of Churches, at 239-560-1560 or tedgar@nccecojustice.org

Erin Musgrave, Small Business Majority, at 831-477-0453 or emusgrave@smallbusinessmajority.org

Brenda Afzal, MS, RN, Health Care Without Harm at, 410-446-2099 or brendaafzal@gmail.com

Heath Care without Harm, an international coalition of more than 500 organizations in 53 countries, is working to transform the health care sector, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment. To learn more about HCWH's work, visit our website at www.noharm.org, our YouTube channel at HCwithoutharm, and our twitter feed at hcwithoutharm.