This was written by Lorna Perez, Moms’ Florida Field Organizer.
At the end of the Biden administration, EPA proposed a long overdue update to pollution protections for nitrogen oxides (NOx) from new gas-fired power plants for the first time almost 20 years. Trump’s EPA has a legal obligation to carry this rulemaking forward.
I live near gas-fired power plants in Florida that are spewing this harmful pollution—which has been linked to not only asthma and respiratory infections but also lower birth weight and preterm birth. As someone who wants to start a family soon, I’m speaking out in support of strong protections to safeguard both myself and my future children.
Take a moment today to join me. Let EPA know you want to protect babies, families, and communities by enacting the strongest possible NOx protections.
Tell EPA: Protect Families From Harmful NOx Pollution
Across Florida, we are bracing for the planned build-out of new gas-fired power plants. There are already multiple gas power plants in my area—Tampa Bay—which is also home to over 33,000 reported cases of pediatric asthma and over 251,000 adults with asthma. Research suggests exposure to NOx pollution over time can cause asthma in children.
NOx can also react with other chemicals to form particle pollution (or soot) and ozone (or smog)—pollutants that can lead to more harmful health impacts, from lung infections to heart attacks to premature death.
Pregnant women, people living in poverty, and historically marginalized neighborhoods are among those most impacted by NOx pollution, making this proposed standard an important step toward justice in every breath. Everybody deserves to live with clean air as a guaranteed human right, regardless of where they live.
People can’t just pick up and move away from new gas-fired power plants they fear are harming their health. It’s EPA’s job to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community breathe safely.
Join Moms in telling EPA to finalize the most protective NOx rule possible. Our families and communities deserve to be kept safe from health-harming pollution.