By: Almeta Cooper, National Manager for Health Justice, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: August 22, 2025
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194
To: Environmental Protection Agency
My name is Almeta Cooper. I am the National Manager for Health Justice at Moms Clean Air Force. Moms Clean Air Force consists of 1.6 million moms, dads, and caregivers united in protecting clean air and children’s health. I live in Washington, DC, our nation’s capital and an urban center.
I urge EPA to preserve the meaning and application of the Endangerment Finding as issued by EPA in 2009 and as determined by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007, as well as to preserve vital limits on greenhouse gas pollution from tailpipes. The Endangerment Finding stands for the principle that greenhouse gases, created when fossil fuels are burned for energy, are a form of pollution under the Clean Air Act that endangers the public health and welfare of current and future generations.
There is overwhelming scientific consensus that greenhouse gases from tailpipes and other sources are driving global warming and directly threatening human health. Because of this evidence our friends, families, neighbors and others in our communities, when asked, say they want policies to protect us from climate pollution since the Endangerment Finding was first issued in 2009.
There is overwhelming public support for policies that protect us from climate pollution. A spring 2024 poll found that over 74% of voters support the idea that carbon dioxide—one of the main greenhouse gases addressed by the Endangerment Finding—should be regulated as a pollutant. And polling has found that more than two-thirds of voters in battleground and key oil- and gas-producing states support efforts to swiftly enact stronger standards on methane pollution.
I care deeply that the burning of fossil fuels and the resulting greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere we share are harming human health. Even more disturbing is the fact that not everyone is harmed equally. Infants and children, pregnant women, and those 65 years and older are at greatest risk from harm from the dangerous conditions generated by the burning of fossil fuels. In my own family I have loved ones in each of these categories.
Further, as an African American mom, I am concerned that the climate-heating effect of greenhouse gases particularly pose a threat to many African American communities.
Among the many reasons that African American communities are disproportionately burdened by multiple the harmful effects of greenhouse gases, I call your attention to the following facts:
- African Americans are more likely to live near power plants, highways and waste sites. Proximity to these sites increases the likelihood of exposure to pollution that is intensified by global warming.
- The NAACP found that African American communities breathe in air that is 40% more polluted than in other communities. A national survey found that 61% of African Americans had problems from breathing dirty air compared to 43% non-Hispanic white Americans. Air pollution is made far worse by hotter temperatures.
In closing, as a mom and a member of my community, I strongly urge EPA not to rescind the Endangerment Finding or essential limits on climate pollution from tailpipes. The Endangerment Finding is basic to EPA’s ability to protect all of us from the emissions that cause global warming and to protect the health of our families, communities, and future generations. EPA must reaffirm its responsibility to protect the health of the people over polluters and reaffirm the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
Thank you to EPA for the opportunity to provide these comments