By: Valencia Bednar, Kids Clean Air Force DC
Date: February 24, 2022
About: Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants: Proposed Reaffirmation of the Appropriate and Necessary Finding, Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2018–0794
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Hi, my name is Valencia Bednar. I am eight years old. I go to Rock Creek Forest Elementary School in Maryland. I do not want mercury pollution, and I think that the EPA should protect us from mercury that comes from power plants.
I have been learning about how coal has mercury in it and that it pollutes the air when people burn it to run power plants for electricity. It reminds me of how I learned about acid rain that comes from power plants. It is important for people to make sure our electricity does not cause pollution.
Mercury pollution hurts babies brains and causes health problems. I am interested in all animals, not just humans, though. I have learned that birds and bats have fewer babies and have health problems when they are exposed to mercury pollution. Birds can’t even sing their favorite songs when mercury makes them sick. This is not fair. I want to make sure that animals can have the best lives possible, and I like to see as many birds, bats, and other animals as possible. We have a special bird living across the street from us. We think it is a hawk. I can help the birds in my neighborhood by picking up trash, but I can’t protect our birds from mercury pollution. We need the EPA to protect animals from mercury pollution.
I learned that babies exposed to mercury can develop disabilities and struggle to learn in school when they grow up. There are kids at my school who have disabilities and learning differences, and I don’t want more kids to have these challenges.
Please make our mercury protections stronger.