Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final announcement repealing life-saving protections on mercury, heavy metals, and other hazardous pollutants emitted from coal-fired power plants. The pollution safeguards provided under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard have successfully protected children across the United States from mercury-related developmental delays and other health harms. Now, the EPA’s recent ruling threatens to reverse these crucial gains.
In response, YECA National Organizer and Spokesperson, Lauren Kim, released the following statement:
YECA both laments and admonishes the EPA’s recent decision to rescind bipartisan common sense protections against mercury pollution.
The science is clear that “mercury is a highly toxic element” and “there is no known safe level of exposure”. Mercury is a highly dangerous neurotoxin which eventually finds its way into our food, air, and water, causing permanent damage to the brain, eyes, and nervous system, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and even premature death for our neighbors. Our ability to function, spend time with others, pursue our ambitions, and even just live our daily lives will be impacted.
As Christians, we believe that all human life is sacred and worth defending. Our generation is in the beginning stages of our lives; starting families, growing our budding careers, and building new communities. The bedrock to these pursuits is our good health. Unwinding these standards pose undue financial and health risks that young adults cannot bear. Our faith calls us to “love our neighbors” by advocating boldly for them and to be good stewards of God’s creation.
The EPA’s rescission of mercury protections is diametrically opposed to its mission to protect human health. Though mercury is deadly, it is a substance we can control. The Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) was a bipartisan success story which benefitted all of us. The standards had achieved a 90% reduction in mercury pollution from power plants with a reasonable cost-benefit. We urge the Administration and Congress to reaffirm these protections that protect the sanctity of life from toxic pollution.
We call on the EPA to restore mercury pollution standards and consider the very dangerous medical and financial impacts that will fall especially hard on Millennials, Gen Z, and young children.
