2011.07.23 Press Release
Southeastern Massachusetts ‘Orange Alert’ Air Quality Warning Day
Contact: Drew Grande, (617) 302-6257
Southeastern Massachusetts Residents Need Protection from Toxic Pollution from Coal-fired Power Plants on ‘Orange Alert’ Air Quality Warning Day. Sierra Club Says Dirty Air Costs Our Families too Much, Urges Strongest Possible Protections from the EPA
On July 23rd Concerned Southeastern Massachusetts residents pointed to dangerous air pollution from coal-fired power plant and from cars for contributing to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s “Orange Alert Days,” warning that air pollution causes asthma attacks and makes kids sick. Burning coal for electricity and oil in our cars and trucks generates toxic pollution like smog and soot, which cause over $100 billion in health costs nationwide each year.
“We can’t wait a minute longer to transition to a 21st century transportation system and to clean energy sources like wind and solar that break our dirty fuel addiction and create good jobs in Massachusetts” said Drew Grande from Sierra Club’s Coal to Clean Energy Campaign “Coal and oil are literally killing us by dumping toxic pollution into our air.”
Roughly half the people (50.3%) in the United States live in counties that have dangerous levels of air pollution, according to the American Lung Association. More than 35 million Americans live within 300 feet of a major road, putting them at greater risk for illnesses like asthma. Air pollution from power plants is estimated to kill 13,000 people each year in the United States.
Air pollution from coal-fired power plants and from cars is especially harmful to Massachusetts’s children. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, asthma affects one out of every 10 school children – and asthma is the top illness that causes kids to miss school. Clean air would mean a healthy economy, as residents of Southeastern Massachusetts could reduce health costs, sick days and boost the clean energy sector.
The EPA will announce updated air quality standards this summer, and it's critical that they be strong enough to protect people's health. Cleaning up the air we breathe and promoting clean energy solutions and a 21st century transportation system can boost the economy and save lives.
"No one ever had an asthma attack because of a solar panel," said Grande from the Sierra Club’s Coal to Clean Energy Campaign. "Clean energy like wind and solar are already available, and it's time to transition to clean energy sources and a 21st century transportation system, and time for the EPA to adopt tough air quality standards to protect our health."
During July 23rd Orange Alert event, Sierra Club highlighted how coal-fired power plants and pollution from cars can trigger asthma attacks, and how dirty air costs our families too much. The Massachusetts Sierra Club Coal to Clean Energy Campaign has been working with residents in Holyoke and Salem to retire old dirty coal plants that dump pollution into the air we breathe.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Air Quality Index: http://public.dep.state.ma.us/MassAir/Pages/MapForecast.aspx?&ht=1&hi=108
Sierra Club Air Pollution and Asthma Information: http://www.sierraclub.org/asthma
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Contact: Drew Grande, (617) 302-6257