Did you know that anyone can provide public comments to the Environmental Protection Agency about important environmental health issues?
All public comments to EPA, also called testimonies, are welcome—and needed. You don’t need to be an expert. This means individuals can choose to provide information and share personal stories that have the potential to influence decisions, support or oppose regulations, and generally help EPA gather data for making and enforcing policies. Critically, public comments can inform EPA officials about the specific day-to-day impacts of environmental issues on real communities, including families and children.
Maybe you’re upset about something happening in your community, like weak pollution controls on coal-fired power plants or overwhelming tailpipe emissions from a nearby highway. Maybe you care about climate change. When making major decisions that impact the environment and human health, like deciding whether to strengthen air quality standards, EPA is required to solicit public input. Writing a public comment is a great way to be heard by EPA about these kinds of important topics.
If you’re ready to try, the next step is to find out about open opportunities—called public comment periods—and deadlines to provide testimony. One shortcut is to join an organization like Moms Clean Air Force; we frequently share information with our members and the public about opportunities to speak out to EPA.
Then it’s just a matter of knowing how to write compelling testimony and submitting it to a specific place by a given deadline (usually, written comments are submitted to an online website called a “docket”). Sometimes, there are even opportunities to read testimony aloud at online or in-person hearings.
7-year-old V with the testimony she prepared for the EPA hearing on Ozone NAAQS, August 2020.
Write an intro
No matter what issue your testimony supports or opposes, comments need to start with an introduction and a specific ask. A basic example would be: “My name is [NAME], and I’m from [STATE]. I urge EPA to [WHATEVER YOU WANT THEM TO DO OR NOT DO].” Another sentence that explains the impact of what EPA is considering is also useful, like, “[WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS] is crucial to protect our communities and future generations from the impacts of [AIR POLLUTION, CLIMATE POLLUTION, ETC.].”
Tell your story
You have a unique story. Sharing it to the public record helps. Maybe it’s a tale of how extreme weather and climate change are impacting you, your community, your future, and your children’s future. Maybe you have an underlying medical condition, like asthma, that would be directly affected if, say, EPA were to weaken air quality standards. If you are giving live testimony at a hearing rather than just submitting a comment to an online docket, there will be a set time limit, so keep this in mind when you are drafting what you want to share.
Specifics are key when telling your story: How is what EPA is trying to do going to directly impact you? What do those impacts look like? How do they feel? If you’re giving testimony related to impacts of greenhouse gas pollution, share the details of any personal experiences with climate-charged wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, extreme heat, or other extreme weather. You can share specific impacts to your personal community, to your loved ones, and even to your local schools. You can also talk about issues of health justice that matter to you, such as how some communities might be unfairly impacted by EPA’s decision.
Incorporate facts
Facts matter. We know climate change is caused by greenhouse gases that are emitted from burning fossil fuels (including coal, oil, and methane gas). We know these gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which warms the planet and supercharges dangerous extreme weather. We know more intense and more common extreme weather can lead to increased air pollution, worsened asthma, allergies, respiratory illnesses, low birth weight and other adverse birth outcomes, Lyme disease, economic costs, and much more. These are established facts. For more details to support your personal testimony, look to trusted sources, and provide references whenever possible.
Conclude with an ask
Take the opportunity after sharing an introduction, an ask, personal details, and facts to wrap it up and reiterate your main ask. Here is an example: “Once again, I strongly [SUPPORT OR OPPOSE] this proposal to [WHATEVER YOU ARE SUPPORTING OR OPPOSING]. Please fulfill your mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
Families testify at EPA's hearing on the proposal to undermine the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, March 2019.
Next-steps checklist
After you submit your comment to the official EPA docket by the specified deadline, you can share your testimony with friends and family to raise further awareness.
You can also post a quote from your comment on social media and tag @CleanAirMoms and @EPA!
Thanks for sharing. Keep your eyes and ears open for your next opportunity to provide public comment to EPA.
Read real-life testimony from Moms on the issues we care about
Updated January 2026