By: Chelsea Lyons, North Carolina State Coordinator, 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 testify. My name is Chelsea Lyons, and I am the North Carolina field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. I am from Greensboro, North Carolina. I am here today to share that I strongly support EPA’s proposal to strengthen the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and ask that EPA finalize these standards as quickly as possible.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can cause permanent damage to the brains of babies and fetuses, leading to many serious developmental delays and/or illnesses. The main source of mercury pollution comes from coal-fired power plants. The pollution is released into the air, falls into waterways, and accumulates in fish that families eat. There is no safe level of mercury consumption, effectively poisoning these communities.
North Carolina has eight active coal-fired power plants located all over the state. Due to this, I am concerned for the babies and children who are vulnerable to toxic mercury levels before they are even born. I am worried about our indigenous communities who rely on fishing as a primary food source. North Carolina has a statewide fishing advisory currently due to this issue. I am even more disturbed to know that communities of color are bearing the heaviest burden of mercury pollution. Unfortunately for my family, we are unable to see the state of our air because we do not have any air monitoring systems in this county. My family could be actively breathing in polluted air and potentially eating polluted fish without up-to-date knowledge of what is in our water and air. The only reason I am aware of the issue in NC is due to having a position at Moms Clean Air Force.
Moms Clean Air Force has been advocating for strong mercury protections for over a decade, and we strongly support strengthening MATS. We must keep mercury and other toxins from spewing out of coal-fired power plants and ending up in our air, water, soil, and food. Thank you for your time.