Hi all,
Please find here and below message guidance to help groups respond to the EPA’s final standard reaffirming the “appropriate and necessary” finding for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which is expected as soon as Friday. Please use this resource as you see fit.
Thank you, and please reach out with any questions!
-AndrewCAC Resource: Biden Administration Reaffirms “Appropriate and Necessary” Finding for Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
BACKGROUND
The Biden Administration is set to affirm that it is appropriate and necessary to set Mercury and Air Toxics Standards(MATS) for coal and oil power plants. These vital standards offer protection from deadly mercury pollution that threatens our health, air, and water and poses significant harm to pregnant women and babies. The Biden administration is seeking to reverse the actions of the previous administration that sought to weaken these protections.
CORE MESSAGE
Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that poses significant harm to pregnant women, babies, and our water supply. EPA’s final standard to reaffirm the ‘appropriate and necessary finding’ for the lifesaving Mercury and Air Toxics Standards is the right step forward. There is no question that protecting the health of babies, children, pregnant people and other at-risk groups from toxic pollution is appropriate and necessary. These common sense standards have a proven track record of success. They have slashed the release of toxic air pollutants, including mercury and arsenic. Millions are breathing cleaner air because of these protections under the Clean Air Act. The previous administration’s attempt to undermine them was unconscionable and unlawful, and we thank EPA for taking steps to correct that deadly mistake.
The Biden administration must set strong standards against mercury pollution and other air toxics
Current mercury and air toxics protections set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted are estimated to prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths each year and prevent 4,700 heart attacks, 130,000 asthma attacks, and 5,700 hospital visits annually.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) has bipartisan support in Congress, plus support from health and industry groups.
The standards were put in place with support from public health and medical organizations, the environmental and faith communities, and clean energy companies.
Strong bipartisan opposition defeated a 2012 Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn MATS (S.J. Res 37).
Americans have everything to gain from strengthening these lifesaving, highly effective standards, and many people – including pregnant women and their unborn children – are depending on the Biden administration to set the strongest possible protections.
Mercury is a dangerous and deadly neurotoxin that permanently damages babies’ brains
Mercury from coal-fired power plants is emitted into the air, falls into waterways, and accumulates in fish that families eat.
This potent neurotoxin causes permanent damage to the brains of babies and unborn children, leading to developmental delays, learning disabilities and birth defects.
Power plants also emit other toxic air pollutants that cause disease and premature death.
Air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants contains more than 80 hazardous air pollutants identified by the Clean Air Act for control, including arsenic, chromium, lead, formaldehyde, acid gases, dioxins, and furans.
These pollutants can cause cancer; damage the eyes, skin, and breathing passages; harm the kidneys, lungs, and nervous system; cause cardiovascular disease; and kill.
They harm people not only near the plants, but also hundreds of miles away.
Cleaning up air toxics reduces sulfur dioxide and particulate matter. Babies and children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with lung disease, heart disease or diabetes face higher risk from these pollutants.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards work. They’ve cleaned up much of this pollution.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) are a success story. The standards have achieved a 90% reduction in mercury pollution from power plants, and cleaned up dangerous particle pollution at the same time.
###--
