This letter to EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson from US Mayors on “front lines of protecting public health” express “strong support” for Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants. We’re in great company in protecting clean air. Many thanks to these Mayors for fighting so hard for our children!
Lisa Jackson
Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20460
Dear Administrator Jackson,
As local elected officials representing big cities and small towns, we want to express our strong support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently issued Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants (MATS). Mayors are on the front lines of protecting public health and this long overdue safeguard will reap tremendous benefits for our communities.
Mercury pollution, much of it coming from coal-fired power plants, represents a particularly widespread threat to families nationwide. According to your agency’s own analysis, as of 2010, all 50 states have fish consumption advisories in place to warn residents of the potential health effects of eating fish caught from local waters. Of these advisories, 81% were issued in part because of mercury pollution accumulated within the aquatic food chain.
A dangerous neurotoxin, mercury poses a particular threat to pregnant women and small children. Exposure affects a developing child’s ability to walk, talk, read, write and learn. The Center for Disease Control, along with your agency, estimate that as many as 1 in 6 women of childbearing age have high enough mercury levels in their blood to harm a developing fetus. Additionally, these rules will reduce exposure to a host of other health-threatening toxics, including arsenic, cyanide, chromium and acid gases.
EPA’s own regulatory impact review of the rules predicts it will save citizens as much as $90 billion annually when fully implemented through lower health care costs. Each year, this translates into as many as 11,000 lives saved, 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks prevented, and 5,700 hospital visits avoided.
Clean, healthy air and water are fundamental American rights and we are eager to work with your agency to ensure these historic protections are quickly implemented.
Respectfully,
Albany, NY – Gerald Jennings
Alexandria, VA – Bill Euille
Ann Arbor, MI – John Hieftje
Atlanta, GA – Kasim Reed
Austin, MN – Thomas Stiehm
Austin, TX – Lee Leffingwell
Berea, KY – Steven Connelly
Bethlehem Township, NJ – John Graefe
Beverly, MA – Bill Scanlon
Biscayne Park, FL – Noah Jacobs
Bloomington, IN – Mark Kruzan
Boston, MA – Thomas Menino
Burlington, VT – Bob Kiss
Charlottesville, VA – Satyendra Huja
Chicago, IL – Rahm Emanuel
Cincinnati, OH – Mark Mallory
Cohoes, NY – John T. McDonald, III
College Park, MD – Andrew Fellows
Columbus, OH – Michael B. Coleman
Cutler Bay, FL – Ed MacDougall
Dearborn Heights
MI – Daniel S. Paletko Decatur
GA – Bill Floyd Denver
CO – Michael B. Hancock Duluth
MN – Don Ness Durham
NC – William V. “Bill” Bell Eden Prairie
MN – Nancy Tyra-Lukens Eugene
OR – Kitty Piercy Falcon Heights
MN – Peter Lindstrom Fayetteville
AR – Lioneld Jordan Florence
SC – Stephen J. Wukela Frankfort
KY – Gippy H.Graham Glendale
CA – Laura Friedman Hallandale Beach
FL – Joy Cooper Hampton
VA – Molly Ward Hartford
CT – Pedro C. Segarra Henderson
NV – Andy Hafen, Houston
TX – Annise Parker Jackson
MS – Harvey Johnson, Jr.
Jordan, MN – Pete Ewals
La Mesa, CA – Art Madrid
Lambertville, NJ- David DelVecchio,
Las Vegas, NV – Carolyn Goodman
Long Beach, NY – Jack Schnirman
Los Angeles, CA – Antonio Villaraigosa
Macon, GA – Robert Reichert
Madison, WI – Paul Soglin
Manhattan Beach, CA – Richard P. Montgomery
Maplewood, MN – Will Rossbach Maui County
HI – Alan M. Arakawa Mayfield Village
OH – Bruce G. Rinker Memphis
TN – A C Wharton, Jr.
Minneapolis, MN – R.T. Rybak
Missoula, MT – John Engen
Montgomery, AL – Todd Strange
New York, NY – Michael R. Bloomberg
Oak Park Heights, MN – David Beaudet
Osakis, MN – Keith Emerson
Peekskill, NY – Mary F. Foster
Pembroke Pines, FL – Frank C. Ortis
Philadelphia, PA – Michael Nutter
Phoenix, AZ – Greg Stanton
Pinecrest, FL – Cindy Lerner
Pittsburgh, PA – Luke Ravenstahl
Pittsfield Charter Township
MI – Mandy Grewal Pleasanton
CA – Jennifer Hosterman Poquoson
VA – Eugene W. Hunt, Jr.
Portland, ME – Michael F. Brennan
Portland, OR – Sam Adams
Providence, RI – Angel Taveras
Redmond, WA – John Marchione
Sacramento, CA – Kevin Johnson
Saint Paul, MN – Christopher B. Coleman
San Antonio, TX – Julian Castro
Santa Fe, NM – David Coss
Santa Monica, CA – Richard Bloom
Sauk Rapids, MN – Dave Saunders
Savannah, GA – Edna Jackson
Seattle, WA – Michael McGinn
Shepherdstown, WV – Arthur III Auxer
Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe of the Lake Traverse Reservation, SD – Robert Shepherd
South Miami, FL – Philip K Stoddard, PhD
Takoma Park, MD – Bruce R. Williams
Urbana, IL – Laurel Prussing
Warren, MI – James Fouts
Washington, DC – Vincent C. Gray
Westland, MI – William R.
Wild White Plains, NY – Thomas M.Roach
Wilmington, DE – James M. Baker
Wilmore, KY – Harold Rainwater
Yonkers, NY – Mike Spano
Ypsilanti, MI – Paul Schreiber