By: Laurie Anderson, Colorado 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 Laurie Anderson, and I am a Colorado Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. I live in Broomfield, Colorado.
Moms Clean Air Force has been advocating for strong mercury protections for over a decade. The current EPA Mercury and Air Toxics Standards help protect our families, and these protections must be maintained since there is no safe level of mercury. I strongly oppose EPA’s proposal to repeal recent updates to these standards.
As a mom of five, I am concerned that future generations, including our own children, will be significantly more impacted by the impacts of pollution in their lifetimes than we are today without protective regulations in place.
I grew up in Minnesota where we pride ourselves as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." However, over 1,500 bodies of water in Minnesota have fish advisories due to mercury contamination. Growing up, my dad was an avid fisherman, and he took us fishing at every opportunity. We fished most often in the Twin Cities area but spent plenty of time in the summers at Lake Koronis, Mille Lacs, and he especially loved the Boundary Waters. One of my dad’s favorite things was to canoe up into the backwaters as far as we could and then just relax and fish all day. However, I learned at an early age about the mercury contamination in our lakes and which fish weren’t safe to eat. Following a successful day of fishing, there was often the uncomfortable discussion where my mom would say the fish wasn't safe to eat for our young bodies, but my dad took the stance that nothing was going to hurt us. It often became a quiet conversation in which the message was just don't take any fish—it's not good for your growing body—let the adults eat it.
This is so unfortunate since eating fish, which offers many important health benefits, carries significant risks in some regions. Fish is an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, and its nutrients support children's growth and development. However, mercury contamination makes consumption too dangerous. Mercury, a potent neurotoxin, can cause irreversible brain damage in babies and fetuses, leading to developmental delays, learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and birth defects.
We now live in Colorado where I am raising my children much further from the highest emitting sources of mercury pollution. Here, we have just a handful of bodies of water with fish advisories due to mercury contamination. Although mercury remains a concern, when my husband, who is also an avid fisherman, comes down from the mountains with his most recent catch, I don’t tell my kids not to eat the fish since those mountain lakes have been tested with no advisories.
The recent strengthening of MATS represents hope for my home state of Minnesota and so many other states that are facing the highest levels of mercury pollution. Over time, more lakes can be added back to the list of safe to eat fish—as long as strong regulations remain in place.
Like any mother, I want the best for my children. I shouldn't have to choose between giving them fish, with all its valuable health benefits, and worrying about mercury contamination. It shouldn’t be this way.
As a parent, I urge EPA to maintain the recent updates to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards which help protect families from the pollution that can cause cancer, lung disease, brain damage in children, and other serious health harms.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify.