By: Shaina Oliver, Colorado State Coordinator, 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 listening to my comments today. My name is Shaina Oliver. I’m a Field Coordinator for Moms Clean Air Force/EcoMadres in Colorado. We are more than 1.5 million parents, guardians, and caregivers fighting for clean air and a healthy climate across the US, with 41,000 members here in Colorado. We are united in supporting the proposed strengthening of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that would protect communities’ health and environment.
Importantly, I’m an Indigenous Díné Mother of four, and we’re descendants of the genocide of the “Indian Removal Act” known to the Díné as “The Long Walk of The Navajo.” I know from experience as a tribal affiliate of the Navajo Nation that Tribes are historically impacted by the harms of environmental injustices through unjust policies and laws. These policies encouraged resources to be stolen from the lands of over 574 Tribal Nations, and the profits have not benefited our people. Because of these environmental injustices, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-wealth communities have seen a disproportionately impact on health from pollution. On the Navajo Reservation we’ve seen greater increases in asthma, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, adverse birth outcomes, mental illness, and premature deaths than the general population. These statistics include me- I’m impacted with asthma and was born with developmental abnormalities. And I am also vulnerable to these health impacts, especially as I get older. My grandfather was a coal plant worker, and he was forced to retire early due to frequent asthma attacks on the work site. Five years ago, he died of leukemia. In 2019, the Navajo and Hopi Tribal members collectively acknowledged that protecting public health and the environment is important to protecting our children and maternal health for our future mothers.
In Díné traditional beliefs, it was said to never eat fish, and this has become true due to the risk of mercury entering our bodies by consuming fish contaminated by coal power plants. Mercury is very detrimental to the health and well-being of babies. Tribal members in the Great Lakes Region, near Rivers, and Coastal Regions rely on the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of their ancestral lands and have a right to have access to clean water, clean air, and good health. It’s our right as Indigenous Tribal members to exist and to protect all children’s right to a safe environment.
As an Indigenous Díné mother of four, I urge you to finalize this proposal and swiftly move forward with strengthening the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards to help protect families from the pollution that can cause cancer, lung disease, brain damage in children, and other serious health harms. This is beneficial to all communities, not just Tribal communities. We must act now and transition to zero-harm practices and invest in actionable items that reduce climate change pollution and contamination from entering our water, air, soil, and health.