By: Emily Pickett, New Mexico Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: July 10, 2025
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0794-6978
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Emily Pickett, and as a consultant for Moms Clean Air Force in Tampa, Florida, I am here to oppose EPA’s proposal to repeal recent updates to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards because there is no safe level of mercury.
As a lifelong Floridian, I have been surrounded by water my whole life. Fishing, boating, and snorkeling in the Gulf of Mexico and local rivers has always brought me joy. But learning about the presence of harmful toxins in local waterways, particularly mercury, has opened my eyes to the significant problem of pollution.
The Florida Department of Health's findings that dozens of Florida’s freshwater and marine fish species are contaminated with mercury is alarming. The department advises women of childbearing age and young children to limit the consumption of many types of fish to just once a month to prevent mercury from building up in our bodies. Plus, EPA’s waterways tool shows that all coastal waters assessed in Florida (9,341 square miles) are impaired for fish consumption. The top reason for impairment? Mercury.
Recently updated mercury protections need to stay in place to continue the progress made in reducing mercury exposures. MATS have been highly effective in reducing mercury pollution and protecting human and ecosystem health, but there is more work to be done to protect families from mercury and other hazardous pollutants emitted from coal plants. In addition to strengthening mercury limits on lignite coal plants, the modernized Mercury and Air Toxics Standards finalized by the Biden EPA would help significantly reduce emissions of dangerous heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and chromium, all of which are linked to serious health harms like heart attacks, cancer, and developmental delays in children. It would be a shame to undo this progress.
I implore EPA to uphold the recent updates to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. We cannot revert to more polluted times. We must protect the health and well-being of our families and our environment. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.