By: Danielle Berkowitz-Sklar, Project Manager, National Events and EcoMadres, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: January 8, 2025
About: NOx New Source Performance Standards, Docket # EPA-HQ-OAR-2024-0419
To: EPA
Hello. My name is Danielle Berkowitz-Sklar, and I am the Project Manager for Moms Clean Air Force National Events and our Latino community engagement program, EcoMadres. I appreciate the opportunity to testify today in support of strengthening the EPA’s proposed NOx protections for new gas-fired power plants.
While I don’t live in the immediate vicinity of a gas-fired power plant, I can speak to the impact of pollution like NOx on my own health. I was excited to move to Washington, DC, a few years ago to join Moms Clean Air Force in their fight for clean air for everyone. What I didn’t anticipate was how living in a city for the first time might affect my health, as I experienced the onset of environmental allergies for the first time. Eventually, the excessive coughing, sneezing, congestion and trouble breathing at night was neither healthy nor sustainable, and even after seeking out medical care, I’ve still struggled.
Epidemiological studies have shown a strong link between the development of allergies and exposure to nitrogen dioxide (a nitrogen oxide gas) and ozone and particulate matter—two dangerous pollutants for which NOx is a precursor. While I can’t definitively confirm the etiology of my allergies, what I do know is that my symptoms began after moving to DC—an area known to have high ozone days—and have exacerbated over time.
Aside from just allergies, NOx pollution has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular issues as well as adverse birth outcomes like preterm birth and low birth weight. We must note that these health impacts aren’t distributed evenly, since Latinos are 165% more likely to live in counties with unhealthy levels of particulate matter pollution, and 48% of Latinos in the U.S. live in counties that frequently violate ground-level ozone standards. As we know, NOx pollution contributes to both of these forms of pollution, making this a matter of environmental injustice.
While NOx pollution comes from a variety of sources, setting stronger standards for new gas-fired power plants is a clear, impactful step forward—and one that we already have the technology to do.
What I’ve experienced is just a small, small glimpse of the daily impact NOx pollution can have on people’s health. EPA has the authority and the responsibility to strengthen these standards to safeguard our families, children, and mothers. I urge you to adopt stronger protections in the final version of the NOx rule to achieve greater reductions in pollution with the technologies that are already outlined. Thank you again for your time.