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Bush Administration Policies Keeps Nebraskans Gasping for Clean Air The Omaha Steel Casting plant is one of several factories in Eastern Omaha located in residential communities, whose daily emissions can triggering asthma attacks. Mary Hill is the CEO and Founder of Sisters Together, an organization that assists women in understanding and managing healthcare. Mary was diagnosed with a breathing problem at an early age; however it was not classified as asthma. In 1962, when Mary was 16 years old she moved to Omaha. A year after her arrival Mary suffered a serious asthma attack, her first in over 8 years, and was taken to the hospital where she was diagnosed with asthma. Since that day Mary has been on medication to control her asthma. In Nebraska the largest population dying from asthma are women over 65 years of age living in eastern Nebraska(1). Mary Hill has raised two children and those children have blessed her with 17 grand children. All of Mary's children and grandchildren have asthma. Like most cities the majority of the polluting power plants are strategically located in impoverished or minority neighborhoods, Omaha is no different. The biggest polluter in North Omaha is the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), which prides itself in stating that they are a company of the community. In 1999 OPPD reported that they emitted 13,288.05 tons of sulfur dioxide(2). High concentrations of sulfur dioxide can affect breathing and may aggravate existing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The American Lung Association distributed a report on particle pollution(3). Particle pollution is a combination of fine particles that can be formed from gaseous emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides and organic compounds that are transformed in the atmosphere into sulfate, nitrate, and carbonaceous aerosols. It is reported that the major sources of these emissions are coal-fired power plants, factories, and cars(4). In 2003 Omaha was reported to have 4 Orange pollution days. An "orange" day is described as a day in which the particle pollutants are so high that they affect sensitive populations, i.e.; elderly, children, and asthmatics(5). On hot summer days Mary is restricted to her home because of the high risk of an asthma attack. "If I were to stay outside for three hours [in Omaha] my family would be rushing me to the hospital," expressed Mary. In 1970 the Clean Air Act was passed with the mission of reducing the amount of pollutants released into the air from industries and vehicles. Mary Hill remembers that a law was passed in 1978 or 1979 requiring anyone renewing their driver's license to have their vehicle checked to make sure it met vehicle emission standards. Mary states that because the residents of west Omaha, the wealthier part of town, were inconvenienced by this the city revoked the law. When this occurred more pollutants from older cars were released in to the air of Omaha. Now in 2004, 26 years later, Mary and her family are facing the same air quality problems. The Bush Administration is taking us backwards when it comes to environmental protections. By weakening and not enforcing parts of the Clean Air Act this administration is allowing polluting power plants to dump more pollutants like sulfur dioxide into Omaha communities. In 1998 Nebraska reportedly had 112,100 asthmatics and of that 51,924 are children(6). The Nebraska Health and Human Services Department (NHHS) conducted a study in response to a report by the Center for Disease Control to try and determine why Nebraska has such a problem with asthma. In doing so they determined, that while the national trends of asthma cases are going down, Nebraska trends tend to increase. The study was inconclusive as to why asthma is such a problem in this state; however, little research was conducted on environmental triggers for asthma in the study. Mary has 17 grandchildren all have asthma; all born and raised in North Omaha. In 1998 it was reported that 28% of patients that visited the emergency room for asthma illnesses were from urban neighborhoods and 35.4% of the patients were between the ages of 5-14 years(7). Two of Mary's grandchildren are deeply affected by the disease, 4 year old Cervantes and 6 year old Devanta. Both of these young children require nebulizer treatments twice a day. Cervantes' and Devanta's asthma problems are so severe that during early summer and late winter they are unable to go outside. In Nebraska10,329 children under the age of 18 are affected by asthma(8). Under the Bush administration, enforcement of environmental laws has plummeted on all issues including air quality(9). During its time in office the Bush administration has repeatedly attempted to slash funding for environmental enforcement. Two EPA enforcement officials have resigned and publicly criticized the administration for its failure to hold polluters accountable for crimes. The Bush administration has continuously demonstrated to the community that it puts polluter's profit over family heath. This problem is hurting everyone, and North Omahans are tired of gasping for breath. "Minorities are lowest on the totem pole," said Mary, "when in it comes to pollution." There is a better way: The Bush administration should enforce the laws, hold polluters accountable and require them to use today's best technology to protect the health and safety of our families and communities. For more information: Sierra Club Organizer, Cammy Watkins (402) 551-9480 camellia.watkins@sierraclub.org Sisters Together, Mary Hill (402) 451-0255 Sierra Club Volunteer, Jonah Deppe (402) 491-3063 jonah.deppe@cox.net Nebraska Health and Human Services: Nebraska Epidemiology Report, Asthma in Nebraska 1987 - 1998, (March 2001). http://co.douglas.ne.us Form No. 1.0 General Plant Information, Year of Emission Inventory - 1999, Omaha Public Power District - North Omaha Station. http://lungaction.org/reports/sota04_region7.html U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. Latest Findings on National Air Quality: 2001 Status and Trends. EPA 454/K-02-001, September 2002. http://www.lungusa.org http://www.lungusa.org Nebraska Health and Human Services: Nebraska Epidemiology Report, Asthma in Nebraska 1987 - 1998, (March 2001). http://co.douglas.ne.us ibid http://www.lungaction.org/reports /sota04_full.html. Knight Ridder Washington Bureau. "Fewer polluters punished under Bush administration, records show" December 9, 2003. Photo courtesy Cammy Watkins. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club