By: Elizabeth Bechard, Public Health Manager, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: August 19, 2025
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194
To: Environmental Protection Agency
My name is Elizabeth Bechard, and I am a Public Health Manager for Moms Clean Air Force. I live in Vermont with my family. I’m here today to strongly oppose EPA’s proposal to rescind the Endangerment Finding and limits on greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.
Global warming is already intensifying extreme weather and endangering families around the country. It’s increasing the intensity and frequency of flood events, and two summers ago, my community and many other communities in Vermont sustained devastating flooding that destroyed homes and businesses, traumatizing families and causing lasting economic harm.
Last July and this July, Vermont experienced flooding again, devastating many of the same farms, businesses, and communities that were still trying to recover from the previous floods. Global warming is contributing to Vermont’s increasing flooding: a recent study found that extreme precipitation in the Northeast is expected to increase by 52% by the end of the century.
In addition to their impact on the physical and economic infrastructure of communities, floods can also have a profound impact on mental health. Experiencing a flood event has been linked with an increased risk of anxiety disorders, symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress disorders, substance abuse, higher risk of domestic violence, and exacerbation of existing mental health challenges.
Like other disasters, floods are also linked with deeply personal losses that can mean grief and even the loss of a sense of identity: in the weeks following the Vermont floods, stories unfolded of lost family photos, missing livestock and pets, small family businesses destroyed, and other irreplaceable belongings damaged by floodwaters. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the number of people who experience mental health impacts after a disaster often outnumbers those physically injured by a staggering 40 to 1.
We've seen agonizing reminders of the dangers of flooding in other states already this summer, too. But we also know that it is not too late for us to act on climate change, and not too late for us to minimize the climate pollution that is threatening virtually every aspect of our future. The Endangerment Finding is a vital foundation for the climate action our children deserve. Every amount of warming that we prevent from tailpipes and other sources will mean a safer, healthier world for our children and future generations. It is unthinkable that we wouldn’t do everything in our power to work towards this world, and unthinkable that EPA would consider rolling back climate pollution protections in a moment like this.
Please do not rescind the Endangerment Finding and limits on climate pollution from motor vehicles. Thank you for your time.