Each month, we highlight a Supermom of the Month, a member who has gone above and beyond to advocate for clean air and children’s health. Our members in states across the country are more important than ever as we work to preserve clean air and climate protections. Will you join us?
This month, we’re celebrating Nancy Simpson, mom of two and grandmother of three. Nancy was nominated by her daughter, Ali Simpson, Moms’ Senior Manager for Field Campaigns.
Nancy has “worn many hats” over the years, she says, so that she can volunteer for causes she cares about. She’s moved from a career in science just out of college to running a business doing after-school programs in 13 local elementaries to now working part-time in retail. One of her causes is advocacy for stronger climate and air pollution protections. Living in California, she has seen the impacts of global warming and poor air quality firsthand. She uses her stories in testimony most recently before EPA and the California Air Resources Board.
Tell Congress: Defend EPA’s Ability to Protect Human Health and the Environment
We talked to Nancy about her advocacy, her motivation, and how she managed to raise an activist.
How did you become interested in environmental and air quality issues?
I went to Monmouth University in New Jersey and got a degree in biology. Then I got a job with a firm that did environmental impact statements for the government. My first job was a survey for a floating nuclear power plant they wanted to build in state waters off New Jersey. What I loved about the job is I got to go out on the boats, get samples, and then analyze what we got. I worked for that company for six years, and then it folded.
I moved to Los Angeles after that in 1980. There is this brown haze in LA—smog, or ozone pollution. It was really intense and started affecting me through the years. I had allergies I never had before. When I went to the doctor he said, “Oh, that’s from living in California for seven years.”
How did you first get involved in advocacy?
My very first foray was into phone banking in 2007 or 2008 for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. My daughter Ali was volunteering and working for her. It was interesting. Some people were lovely, and some people were not. You had to take a deep breath before each phone call. But I felt it was important work to do.
Overlapping with that experience, I phone-banked for Prop 7, the Solar and Clean Energy Act here in California, in 2008. People were definitely more receptive to Prop 7.
You’ve been at this for nearly 20 years. How do you stay motivated?
Where I live in California, we have a state government fighting the good fight. So that keeps me encouraged.
But I worry about how long it will take after all the setbacks we’re seeing now at the federal level to get back to what we need to slow climate change. That’s the most disheartening for me. We’ve done all this work—a lot of it’s baby steps—and we’re losing that. Is it going to take years? Is it going to take decades? Are my grandkids going to have better air, a better environment? It’s about the future.
I want to do what I can do now. I know it’s idealistic of me, but you have to trust that you do make a difference. You just persevere, you know?
What is it like giving testimony, sharing your story with EPA?
I don’t have a problem speaking from the heart. You need your facts, but a personal experience speaks volumes. There was one EPA testimony I did about methane where I talked about a massive gas leak in 2015 in Porter Ranch in California [also known as the Aliso Canyon gas leak] that was close to home. I had friends who lived out there, so it was personal. They had to evacuate with young kids. A lot of their neighbors moved because it went on for a while. They said the leak was fixed but it really wasn’t. [It continued for 100 days before it was plugged, and made thousands of people sick.]
What is the biggest personal victory you’ve experienced in your advocacy work?
The biggest one lately was the testimony that I gave in July to the California Air Resources Board about the plan to increase adoption of electric vehicles in our state. It was hard to listen to some of the people arguing the other side. But still, that was the best victory because we made some headway there. Governor Newsom is now exploring avenues to backfill federal tax credits for electric vehicles that were cut by Congress this summer.
All of us at Moms are trying to raise advocates like your daughter Ali. How did you do it?
I always gave my daughters the advice that whatever you do in life, you have to be passionate about it. We weren’t super political, but we always talked about issues, even when they were young. And we talked about how you can help and volunteer. So they grew up around two parents who felt that way.
I’ll pat myself on the back a little bit, but really, Ali just took her own lead and decided she wanted to make a difference somewhere. I’m proud of her.
Tell Congress: Defend EPA’s Ability to Protect Human Health and the Environment