2011.07.19 Press Release

Hundreds of Thousands of Letters of Support Delivered to EPA in Boston

Contact: Jessica Franz Spiegel, Environment America, 202 683-1250, jessica@environmentamerica.org Sean Sarah, The Sierra Club, 202 548-4589, sean.sarah@sierraclub.org Miles Grant, National Wildlife Federation, 202 797-6855, GrantM@nwf.org Benjamin Wright, Environment Massachusetts, 617 747-4313, ben@environmentmassachusetts.org

National Coalition Encourages Strong Mercury Safeguards

Boston, MA – Today, a crowd of concerned citizens gathered in Boston outside the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 office to deliver more than 639,000 comments calling for strong mercury safeguards. These comments, collected from every state in the nation, support the EPA in their efforts to curb dangerous mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants. A coalition of more than 200 health, environmental and social justice organizations worked together to make this impressive show of support possible.

"This tremendous response signals that Americans know how important it is to cut down on mercury, arsenic and other dangerous pollutants in the air we breathe," said Curt Spalding, Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 1 office in Boston. "Not only will these safeguards prevent thousands of premature deaths and cases of asthma and other illnesses, they will level the playing field for power plants already using widely available clean technology. We're relying on the continued input of New Englanders, and all Americans, to help us make these vital safeguards a reality."

Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury pollution, arsenic and acid gases, and account for 25 percent of all toxic metal emissions in the United States. Furthermore, coal-fired power plants are responsible for 99 percent of all mercury emissions from the power sector in the United States.

“This long overdue standard is a victory for people of color across America,” said Juan Cofield, President of the NAACP, New England Area Conference. “Race, rather than income, is the #1 predictor of whether a person is located near a polluting facility, meaning that people of color are most likely to be exposed to the toxic air pollution coming from these plants. Fortunately, when this standard is implemented, people of color will reap the rewards of cleaner air and less toxic pollution by seeing lower health care costs, fewer asthma attacks, and healthier communities.”

"With thousands of birth defects and premature deaths related to poor air quality, it's no surprise that more than 639,000 comments were gathered from Americans from all walks of life. Today, we come together to call on the EPA to clean up our air and protect our families' health,” said Ben Wright, Advocate for Environment Massachusetts. “I'm pleased that Regional Administrator Curt Spalding is here on behalf of Administrator Lisa Jackson to acknowledge the public concern and the need for action. Together we can stand up to powerful polluters and ensure that our air and our health are protected."

The mercury safeguards proposed by the EPA represent a strong standard that will for the first time cut mercury emissions from power plants nationwide by 91 percent, reduce arsenic and acid gases by 91 percent, prevent 12,200 trips to the hospital, and save up to 17,000 lives each year once it is implemented.

More than 200 organizations have encouraged the EPA to ensure that their proposed mercury safeguards remain strong enough to protect the health of children and mothers. Some of the national organizations who participated were: Alliance for Climate Protection, Democracia, Inc, Environment America, Environment Defense Fund, Greenpeace, Health Care Without Harm, Interfaith Power and Light, League of Women Voters, League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, Physicians for Social Responsibility, The Sierra Club and U.S. Climate Action Network.

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