Five years ago, Moms Clean Air Force launched our Moms & Mayors program to unite the power of moms with the power of mayors—to create change in our own communities. Our federal government at the time was rolling back regulation after regulation, and connecting with our local governments to ensure they were protecting our health was absolutely vital.
Now, we have a new opportunity to harness the power of local communities. Federal funding from the largest climate legislation in U.S. history—the Inflation Reduction Act—and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is flowing into cities across the country for clean energy, clean transportation, and clean air projects. In just the last year, we’ve seen $53.4 million invested in enhancing air quality monitoring in underserved communities, $278 billion invested in clean energy projects, and more than 170,000 new jobs created in 44 states.
Moms are talking with local and state officials and community organizations to make sure this funding is going to the neighborhoods that need it. We have pinpointed federal programs that are available to cities and are keeping our officials updated about when application periods open and what kind of grant-writing assistance is available. And when money is awarded in our cities, we are celebrating!
Earlier this year, we hosted a series of conversations with government and nongovernmental organizations that received EPA grants for community air monitoring projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. We learned firsthand how these grants will help underserved neighborhoods tackle local air pollution at the source. During our Michigan webinar, Keith Kiama, who will manage an air quality monitoring project in child care settings in Detroit for the Green Door Initiative, shared, “Real-time air quality gives us the ability to prepare for the day and to take precautions if necessary to mitigate asthma triggers.” The Green Door Initiative program will identify environmental asthma triggers and provide low and no-cost solutions for reducing them.
The second track of our Moms & Mayors program is focused on spreading awareness about the dangers of “chemical recycling,” sometimes falsely called “advanced recycling” (though it’s neither advanced nor recycling) by the powerful plastics and petrochemical industry. The plastics industry is looking to aggressively expand “chemical recycling” operations and open new sites across the country, primarily in low-income communities and communities of color that have been harmed by environmental injustices for decades. These so-called recycling facilities are a way for the industry to justify tripling plastic production by 2050.
The fact is “chemical recycling” facilities do not recycle anything. These facilities use processes called “pyrolysis and gasification” to burn plastic trash, turning it into harmful air pollution and chemical wastes. “Chemical recycling” facilities spew carbon monoxide, benzene, and formaldehyde into surrounding communities, and they generate hazardous ash, which has to be shipped offsite for disposal.
Our moms are meeting with mayors, city councils, state lawmakers, and even governors to ensure “chemical recycling” stays out of our communities. In September, Moms in Ohio joined our partners in the state for an in-person meeting to urge the Youngstown City Council and Mayor Tito Brown to oppose a permit for a “chemical recycling” facility operated by SOBE Energy. The facility would incinerate plastics and rubber tires. After this meeting, the City Council voted to adopt a resolution in opposition to the project. The council’s comments are now headed to the Ohio EPA.
Read our new fact sheet: “CHEMICAL RECYCLING” 101
Find out how you can get involved in Moms & Mayors.
TELL EPA: PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES FROM PLASTIC INCINERATION POLLUTION