By: Patrice Tomcik, Senior Field Director, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: August 21, 2025
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194
To: Environmental Protection Agency
My name is Patrice Tomcik and I am the Senior Field Director for Moms Clean Air Force, a community of 1.6 million parents united to protect children’s health from air pollution and our changing climate. I live in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania with my family.
I strongly oppose efforts to undermine or revoke the Endangerment Finding and tailpipe vehicle standards which is foundational to EPA’s ability to protect us from the greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change has contributed to shorter, warmer winters providing ideal conditions for Lyme disease carrying ticks to thrive and multiply faster. Tick checks have become a standard routine in our house as I have repeatedly had to remove them from my family, dogs and myself followed by multiple preventative rounds of antibiotics for humans and yearly vaccines for dogs. Unfortunately, I must have missed the detection of a nymph tick last summer that resulted in me being immobilized with joint pain and swelling. A blood test confirmed I had Lyme disease and I underwent the 14-day antibiotic treatment. I still have severe joint pain. This steep increase in vector borne infectious disease rates will only increase if greenhouse gas pollution isn’t cut drastically.
Meanwhile, it is clear that the protections in place now have not slowed down the fossil fuel industry. In my son’s school district, gas wells continue to be fracked with the closest ones located about a half mile away from the school campus that puts 3,200 students' health and safety at risk. Oil and gas operations emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas, along with other harmful pollutants that impact health. Unfortunately, communities like mine will continue to be forced to live with more fracked wells as the gas is used as a feedstock at petrochemical and plastics facilities.
Plastics are the world’s fastest-growing industrial source of greenhouse gases. It is predicted that by 2040 as much as 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions will come from plastics.
I urge EPA to honor its mission to protect public health and the environment, and to oppose any effort to undermine or revoke the Endangerment Finding and the clean vehicle standards.