Happy Earth Day! Let’s take look back to the first Earth Day, and where we are today:
THEN
Across the country, people were living in a toxic soup of pollution that ranged from horrific air quality to chemically polluted waterways. The legacy of pollution linking industry and public health was growing more and more deadly each year.
The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, inspired 20 million people (10% of the total population of the US at the time) to protest to protect the environment. This environmental awareness transcended politics, and in a rare bipartisan agreement, the Environmental Protection Agency was established.
Congress quickly passed our bedrock environmental laws—the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act—which gave EPA authority to set limits on pollution. While these laws have protected our children from disease and death from pollution, climate change continues to threaten their right to breathe clean air.
NOW
EPA recently announced four important clean air proposals that are needed to protect the health of families across the country.
On this Earth Day, please urge EPA to swiftly finalize these important clean air rules. Thank you!