As Valentine’s Day approaches, here at Moms Clean Air Force we’re thinking about how air pollution is impacting our hearts. We are heartbroken that Scott Pruitt is undoing the rules that are protecting our heart health.
One in three women is killed by heart disease, more than every form of cancer combined. One woman dies from heart disease every minute. One of the causes of heart disease is air pollution — something Scott Pruitt has not addressed as EPA Administrator.
In fact, Pruitt is actively dismantling the very policies that protect our beating hearts from air pollution. He is rolling back the Clean Power Plan, which limits pollution from coal-fired power plants. He is delaying pollution prevention rules for the fracking industry. He is trying to weaken tailpipe emission standards for cars. And he is making it easier for companies to dump harmful toxics directly into the air. Through these actions, he is increasing the risk of heart attacks, stroke, and other problems.
This especially harms our elders, but it isn’t just a problem for the old. 150,000 heart disease deaths per year are in people under the age of 65. We need a leader at EPA who will address the major threats to all of our health — young, old, and everything in between. Scott Pruitt is not that person — so he needs to be fired.
In addition to not protecting the vital organs that keep us alive, Scott Pruitt is also breaking our hearts in the emotional sense. He’s shown us over and over again that he would rather protect polluting industries than women and families. He’s removed independent scientists from advisory boards, proposed cuts to critical initiatives that protect our children’s health, and worked to advance the agenda of the chemical and fossil fuel industries.
As a mother, there is nothing more painful than the idea of harm coming to my children. It hurts my heart to even think about it — but as moms, we have to not only think about it, but do something about it.
It’s up to moms to protect our kids’ — and our own — health. Together, we have the power to make sure the EPA is protecting us too.