Support EPA’s Final Mercury Standard with a Letter to the Editor
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Mercury and Air Toxics Standard will greatly reduce the amount of mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollution emitted from coal plants. We have waited since 1990 for these federal Clean Air Act standards to limit toxic mercury pollution.
ELPC is pleased that EPA announced this new standard that will protect public health, the environment and the economy together. Join us in thanking the EPA by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. ELPC’s online system will help you do it.
This landmark move by EPA will reinforce the important Clean Air Act public health standards enacted more than 20 years ago. It will protect public health and the Great Lakes ecosystem. It will create good jobs for American workers. And it will avoid billions of dollars in health costs.
Notwithstanding these public health, environmental and economic benefits, the new EPA standard is already under attack from certain coal plant owners and members of Congress. They claim – erroneously – that this will cause our lights to go out. This is simply not true. Industry has known for decades that these standards were coming. Many utilities took early steps to convert to natural gas, which burns cleaner and produces less pollution, or alter construction plans for coal plants with oudated technology.
Please express your support for the new EPA standard that will protect children’s health, the Great Lakes and the environment by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Tags: Air Pollution, Coal Plants, EPA, Mercury Pollution