Last week, dozens of Moms testified before EPA in support of strong soot pollution protections. Our Arizona organizer Hazel Chandler (above) was one of them. In her moving testimony, and in an interview with Public News Service, Hazel shares how soot pollution is threatening to cut her life short.
- Soot is a dangerous—and sometimes deadly—form of pollution that can pass directly into the bloodstream. Senior Policy Analyst Elizabeth Bechard tells Public News Service that soot pollution contributes to about 100,000 premature deaths per year in the US alone.
- Soot pollution is bad news for kids with asthma. Michigan organizer Elizabeth Hauptman says her son has to miss out on outdoor activities when the air quality is poor because he’s at risk of having an asthma attack.
EPA’s proposed soot pollution standards don’t go far enough. They fall short of what leading medical groups and EPA’s own panel of science advisors recommend. Add your voice to our call for stronger soot pollution standards.
IN OTHER NEWS…
Bad neighbors: Colorado organizer Shaina Oliver wrote a letter to the editor of the Denver Post in response to an editorial about Suncor, the state’s only oil and gas refinery, and the most recent chemical incident at the facility.
- Living in the shadow of the refinery is an enormous source of stress, Shaina writes. Shaina and her family worry about how the polluted air and contaminated water will impact their health long-term. Shaina says: “It’s our lives and health that hang in the balance as we fight this environmental injustice.”
- The violations are adding up: In another Denver Post article about Suncor, Shaina says the refinery will lose its “social license to operate” if it continues to violate EPA and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment pollution rules. This article also ran in the Times-Call, the Fort Morgan Times, and the Journal Advocate.
Moms speak out on methane: Last month, Moms across the nation told EPA to finalize a strong, comprehensive methane rule. The comment period has now closed, but Moms have kept up a steady “cut methane” drumbeat in the media.
- Methane is a powerful climate pollutant. Strong methane standards are one of the best tools we have to slow climate change. In an interview with Spectrum News 1, Ohio organizer Tracy Sabetta emphasizes that we can’t afford to miss this opportunity to make a difference and protect the health of generations to come.
- Texas organizer Erandi Treviño spoke to Univision Houston about the disproportionate toll that pollution from the oil and gas industry takes on the health of Latino communities and people of color.
Clean vehicles can’t come soon enough: The transportation sector is the largest source of climate pollution in the US and tailpipe exhaust contains harmful pollution–including soot. Unlike gas-powered cars, electric vehicles do not produce any tailpipe pollution.
- Federal clean car standards would help drive the transition to a zero-tailpipe pollution future and “protect public health nationwide,” said Arizona organizer Ida Sami at a virtual press conference that was covered by Downtown Devil.
- Charging infrastructure is an essential part of this transition. That’s why West Virginia organizer Lucia Valentine tells The Journal that the new chargers installed at her local library are a “win for our kids’ health and climate.”
Honorable mentions: A couple news hits that deserve a shout-out!
- Yahoo!Life interviewed National Field Manager Elizabeth Brandt for a story about a dove that died of fume inhalation after it was (likely) used in a gender reveal. The story also ran in Aol.
- Yale Climate Connections names Moms Clean Air Force as one of the climate activism groups fueled by love of family.
SPREAD THE WORD
Our @Moms_Press Twitter handle is dedicated to sharing our media hits and interacting with reporters. Help us reach more people by following us and retweeting our posts about this week’s press hits!
- Hazel in Public News Service. https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1629523114559258630
- Tracy Sabetta on Spectrum News 1. https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1628418558647586820
- Elizabeth Brandt in Yahoo!Life. https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1627797006625259525
- Shaina Oliver in the Denver Post. https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1626368681633611776
- Moms in Yale Climate Connections. https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1626204789775421441