A clean decision

The year comes to a close with good news of a new air pollution standard established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will drastically cut the emissions of health-harming chemicals and will result in saved lives and fewer illnesses.

Companies -primarily coal- fired power plants- will have three years to cut 90% of emissions of mercury, as well as other toxics such as acid gas, arsenic, lead and nickel which are responsible for thousands of cases of heart attacks, asthma, bronchitis, premature deaths and more.

The new policy is especially good news for the Latino community. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Latino children have a higher level of mercury in their bodies compared to other children. They also have a higher percent of cases of childhood asthma. Approximately 39% of Latinos live within 30 miles of a power plant.

The EPA’s new standard was 20 years in the making and has been the target of intense pressure from industry leaders and Republicans who oppose the federal measure as too costly in terms of both money and staff.

There is no question that it will be expensive for the industry to make the changes necessary to comply with the standard. But there is no other option if we want to protect the population’s health. Unfortunately, the industry-favored model of “clean carbon” is not much more than a slick public relations campaign.

With this decision, the White House will recover some ground lost with its environmental base because of previous decisions at that same time that it is under pressure over the Keystone KL pipeline. Pressure will certainly not let up during a campaign year.

Politics aside, the new air pollution standard is an important step to protect the health of those living in this country and a challenge for an industry that needs to change its tolerance of contamination.