This was written by Moms Clean Air Force’s National Field Manager, Trisha Dello Iacono:
This weekend, my sons and I are headed to Washington, DC, once again. On Monday, we’re joining moms and kids from across the country to testify at the Environmental Protection Agency’s public hearing on proposed rollbacks to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.
I’m honored to stand with the brave moms joining me from more than a dozen states, sharing our stories and advocating for all children.
I remember vividly how, when I was pregnant with my first son, Logan, my doctor told me to avoid eating tuna, because the mercury contamination in that fish could be harmful to my baby’s brain development. Two more children and 12 years later, I now understand what I didn’t know back then: mercury in tuna comes from coal fired power plants — and it’s entirely preventable.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards have been in effect since 2012, and they have dramatically lowered the mercury pollution that comes from coal plants. With less mercury billowing out of coal stacks, there’s less mercury entering our lakes and oceans, contaminating the fish we eat.
But now Trump’s EPA is trying to undermine the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards with a proposal that would dramatically weaken the rule. That’s because Trump’s newly confirmed EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, isn’t concerned about the wellbeing of my babies’ — or any babies’ — brains. Instead, as a former coal lobbyist, he’s interested in helping his coal baron friends make more money. It’s despicable.
Moms won’t let Wheeler get away with this immoral attack on a life-saving pollution prevention rule. So we’re headed to Washington to convey our concerns in person, and deliver testimony at the public hearing.
We’re going to Washington to force the EPA to reckon with what it’s putting on the line — our children, their health, and their future. We’re speaking out not just for our families, but for over one million members of Moms Clean Air Force across the country, and for all children. We won’t let you down.
STOP THE TRUMP EPA’S ATTACK ON MERCURY POLLUTION PROTECTIONS