By: Ali Simpson, National Field Manager, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: May 9, 2023
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0794
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Thank you for the opportunity to give testimony today. My name is Ali Simpson. I am a National Field Manager for Moms Clean Air Force, an organization of over 1.5 million parents and caregivers advocating for clean air and a healthy climate on behalf of children nationwide. I live in Bedford, New York, with my wife and two-year-old son. I’m here today to speak in support of the strongest possible Mercury and Air Toxics Standards to be finalized this year.
Despite never having never been pregnant myself, I can remember from an early age learning about the dangers of mercury poisoning for pregnant women and the devastating impacts it can have on a fetus. I can remember my mom talking about her avoidance of fish during both of her pregnancies, even though we lived many miles from the nearest coal plant. She knew even then that mercury pollution from coal plants can harm people hundreds of miles from its source.
When my son was just getting accustomed to solid food, I distinctly remember speaking with his pediatrician about fish consumption because of concerns about mercury—of which NO level is safe. Friends and family would ask about my wife’s diet during her pregnancy to make sure she wasn’t eating fish. Being pregnant is difficult enough—the physical load matches the mental load—especially when you have to be extra rigorous about where your food is coming from. In my home county of Westchester, New York, there are fish advisories for all the nearest bodies of water, including limiting to under four fish meals/month and many specific advisories that prohibit women under 50 and children under 15, which consists of all members of my family, to not consume any local fish at all. All the fish my son and I will catch in the future are not safe for consumption.
I’m proud to be part of an organization that’s been fighting for MATS protections for over a decade. We know MATS has been highly effective in reducing mercury pollution, and we need to do more. There are still far too many coal plants in the US releasing mercury and other toxins into the air. This rule’s continuous emission monitoring requirement is absolutely essential. Families have a right to know what’s in the air they breathe and the food they eat. Short, periodic tests are not enough, and I applaud EPA for including this requirement that is so desperately needed.
As a parent, I’m asking the EPA to finalize the strongest MATS standards as soon as possible- our children’s health must be protected.