Untitled Document
What’s New
On September 21, the EPA finalized new national air quality standards for particle “soot” pollution that ignore the overwhelming medical and scientific consensus that the standards need to be substantially strengthened to protect Americans from this dangerous air pollutant. National air quality standards are the backbone of the Clean Air Act and thus efforts to reduce air pollution nationwide.
In making the decision, the Bush administration rejected the recommendations of EPA’s own staff scientists and independent scientific advisors. On the other hand, the electric power, coal, oil, chemical, steel, mining, automotive, and diesel engine industries all lobbied against stronger standards.
Particle pollution is the nation’s deadliest widespread air pollutant and endangers people’s lives and health at levels well below those announced by EPA.
How You Can Help
EPA has a second important decision to make that will affect the levels of dangerous soot in the air, and we’re still hopeful that EPA will do the right thing and crack down on diesel pollution. E-mail EPA Administrator Johnson to clean up diesel pollution.
Summary
The haze that hangs over many city skylines isn’t just unpleasant – it’s dangerous to our health. It keeps kids with asthma indoors on hot, hazy days, missing school, recess, and sports, because air pollution is what’s called an asthma trigger. In fact, air pollution triggers millions of asthma attacks every year in the U.S.
Kids and people of all ages should be able to breathe air that doesn’t make them sick.
The good news is that we have the technology to reduce air pollution from the largest sources, including dirty diesel trains and ships, coal-fired power plants, and cars and SUVs.
The Bush administration must soon make a decision that could have a big impact on air quality. In 2004, EPA committed to propose new rules to clean up dirty diesel trains and ships – a long overlooked source of diesel pollution – but has yet to act. A report by state and local air officials estimated that pollution from diesel trains and ships triggers a remarkable 66,000 asthma attacks among children every year. EPA should stand by its word and propose new rules this year to reduce diesel pollution from ships and trains by 90 percent by 2011.
Background
Fact sheet on soot standards
160 organizations call for strong soot standards (PDF)
Report by state and local air pollution officials on diesel train and ship pollution (PDF)
News releases
New Air Quality Standards Reject Science, Leave Millions at Risk 9/21/06
Administration Ignores Science in Proposing Standards for Particle Pollution 12/20/05
EPA Cracks Down on Diesel Pollution, Garners Rare Applause from Public Interest Groups 5/10/04
Reports
Plagued by Pollution: Unsafe Levels of Soot Pollution in 2004 1/19/06
Pollution on the Rise: Local Trends in Power Plant Pollution 1/26/05
Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Levels of Air Pollution in 2003 9/23/04
Dangers Of Diesel: How Diesel Soot And Other Air Toxics Increase Americans' Risk Of Cancer 10/3/02
