On Tuesday, March 28, the day President Trump signed an executive order that attacked our children’s clean air safeguards, Moms Clean Air Force joined an emergency rally at Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC, near the White House. Parents, children and concerned citizens gathered to show support for health and environmental protections and signify outrage over the Administration’s reckless disregard for family health.
Among the speakers was Liz Brandt, mother of two and Moms Clean Air Force Washington, DC field consultant. This is a transcript of Liz’s remarks:
Today’s executive actions to protect polluters is an unprecedented attack on clean air safeguards for our communities, for our children. Never has a president, or an EPA head, acted with such reckless disregard for our children’s health, or their safety in the face of a clear & present danger – at the bidding of the biggest polluters. Our children will bear the costs. Our communities will bear the costs. Our families will bear the costs. The biggest polluters will pollute with impunity. They will profit. The costs for our children will be profound unless we stand together to stop this.
Are you with us?
I’m concerned that my kids and ALL of our kids are being exposed to smog pollution that comes downwind from power plants across the nation. In December, we went to the EPA to back up the State of Maryland’s request that the EPA ensure that midwestern coal-fired power plants use their quality controls on more summer days so that downwind areas like DC, Maryland and Virginia would not have high ozone days. The air pollution has primarily blown in from the Midwest. These smoggy days cause asthma attacks and trigger warnings for people to stay inside. We need a strong federal agency to make sure that we aren’t suffering from increased respiratory illnesses because another state doesn’t think environmental protection is a priority. We can’t gut the EPA or the Clean Power Plan!
Kids suffering from asthma already miss a combined 14 million days of school each year because of scary episodes of labored breathing. We cannot afford to go backwards on this issue. We’ve made progress: Between 1970 and 2011, aggregate emissions of common air pollutants dropped nearly 70 percent, while the U.S. gross domestic product doubled! We have to keep moving forward!
We want to play outside! Everyday! It’s not fair that air pollution can cause it to be unhealthy to play outside.
We’re not taking this lying down! We are in for the fight, and there are plenty of ways for us to block the implementation of this executive order. We are going to be here every step of the rule making and court process to stand up for our kids’ right to clean air!
Are you with us?
TELL YOUR SENATOR: PROTECT OUR HEALTH FROM AIR AND CLIMATE POLLUTION