By: Elizabeth Bechard, Senior Policy Analyst, 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 Elizabeth Bechard, and I am a Senior Policy Analyst with Moms Clean Air Force. I live in Essex, Vermont, with my partner and seven-year-old twins. I strongly support EPA’s proposal to strengthen the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and ask that these standards be finalized this year.
Air pollution doesn’t respect state boundaries. Although there are no active coal-fired power plants in the state of Vermont, where I live, there are still fish advisories throughout the state because of mercury pollution. This is largely because of atmospheric mercury originating from coal-fired power plants in other states that falls onto Vermont waterways and accumulates in the food chain. Women of childbearing age and children under the age of 15 are advised not to eat any large fish caught in Lake Champlain owing to mercury contamination, because the health impacts of mercury on babies’ and children’s developing brains are so profoundly damaging. When pregnant people eat contaminated fish, mercury can cause impaired motor function, learning impairments, and behavioral problems in their children. These kinds of health impacts can be devastating, affecting a child’s quality of life for a lifetime, as well as the quality of life for entire families.
Strengthening the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards is key to the well-being of families around the country, both in states with active coal-fired power plants and in states like mine. One of the key benefits of the proposed rule is that it will require continuous emissions monitoring for coal plants, which means that facilities will be required to track their pollution at all times—rather than just for short, periodic emissions tests. This will help hold coal plants accountable for the true impact of their pollution. Families and communities around the country have a right to know what’s in their air.
Once again, I support the proposal to strengthen the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and I urge you to finalize these important standards this year. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.