By: Amanda Rowoldt, Ohio Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: July 8, 2025
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0124-0001
To: Environmental Protection Agency
My name is Amanda Rowoldt and I live in Franklin County in Dublin, Ohio. I am an Ohio Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force and a mother of two young boys. As a mother, as someone concerned about healthy living, and an advocate for children, it's important for me to voice my strong opposition to EPA’s proposal to revoke the Carbon Rule, a critical rule that protects my children and all children from the negative health impacts of climate pollution and climate change.
Disasters like severe wildfires, heat waves, and drought are exacerbated by the climate pollution that’s heating up the planet and driving climate change. Here in Ohio, my family has been directly impacted by the alarming increase in extreme weather that virtually all of us are experiencing. . In the summer of 2023, my family was impacted by the Canadian wildfires that burned throughout the summer for weeks at a time. Research shows that human-caused global warming increased the hot dry conditions that contributed to these devastating fires. The barrage of smoke could be visibly seen in the air. The sky filled with a greyish haze. Day after day, week after week, poor air quality alerts were issued and severely limited my children’s ability to play outside. Lack of outside time created frustration and stress for the entire family. The lack of time outside was especially hard for my child with ADHD who regularly benefits from physical activity outside. Without this opportunity to be outside his ability to stay emotionally regulated was compromised, leading to stress for him and for our entire family unit.
Many Ohioans are already dealing with the negative health impacts of fossil fuel and petrochemical infrastructure in our state, and a rollback of the Carbon Rule would add additional risk on top of existing health problems, chronic illness, and deadly disease like cancer.
It’s imperative to keep the Carbon Rule in place so we can decrease our chances of more out-of-control wildfires and dangerous smoke that will pollute our air and compromise our children’s ability to do simple things like go play outside. Without the Carbon Rule we will see more heat-related illnesses like heat stroke and exhaustion on our kids’ playing fields and playgrounds. We’ll see more cognitive impacts on children because extreme heat compromises children’s ability to focus and learn. Too much is at stake for children and families. The EPA must not revoke the Carbon Rule.
The EPA must continue to protect us from climate pollution that is driving climate change. The EPA must continue to regulate greenhouse gas emissions so we do not make matters worse and contribute to more air pollutants that limit our children’s freedom and healthy development. As a mother and Ohio resident, I strongly oppose EPA’s proposal to revoke the Carbon Rule.
Thank you.