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Support Stronger Air Pollution Health Standards

Target: EPA Administrator Johnson
Sponsored by: American Lung Association

The Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set air pollution standards at levels that protect public health. On December 20, 2005, the EPA proposed new rules to limit particle pollution in outdoor air that fall short of their obligation to the American people.

Each year thousands of premature deaths occur because of particle pollution. Particle pollution also worsens asthma and other respiratory ailments. There is a strong consensus among scientists that the annual and daily limits on particle pollution need to be tighter to protect public health. EPA's own scientists and an EPA commissioned scientific panel also have proposed tightening both standards.

EPA Administrator Johnson, in spite of thousands of studies showing how dangerous particles are, proposed standards weaker than those recommended by scientists. This proposed rule leaves millions of Americans unprotected and threatens the lives of thousands.

Federal law requires the EPA to solicit and review comments on any proposed rule. We need to let them know that the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to protect our health, and that means tighter particle pollution rules.

Send an official comment to EPA and protest its proposed new rules that leave our lives and our health at risk.

deadline: 4-16-2006
goal: 12,500

17,287
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Dear EPA Administrator Johnson,

I am writing to urge you to follow the recommendations of the air pollution health science experts and set new particle pollution standards at the levels necessary to protect public health. The standards you proposed (an annual standard of 15 ug/m3 and a daily standard 35 ug/m3) are too high to protect the public health. EPA should set a daily standard of no higher than 25 ug/m3 and an annual standard no higher than 12 ug/m3. Further, your proposal will allow unlimited levels of elevated pollution on far too many days each year. The standard should be set at the 99th percentile, meaning no more than four days in any year should be above the standard.

The science is clear. Thousands of scientific studies have found that particle pollution in the air causes serious health problems, including tens of thousands of premature deaths, increased use of asthma medications, missed school days, emergency room visits, strokes, and heart problems. Millions of Americans are at risk from breathing particle pollution, including people with asthma and other chronic lung diseases, children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

EPA staff scientists and a panel of independent scientific reviewers have recommended much lower limits in the national standards for the smallest, or fine, particles. Given the dangerous health effects, there was no reason to propose a standard higher than the lowest levels recommended by EPA scientists. Yet, inexplicably you have done so.

You should also provide even more protection than your staff has recommended for the limits on the larger, or coarse, particles to protect us from these larger, but still dangerous, particles. EPA should include all types of coarse particles in this standard. There is no scientific basis to determine that particles from any source - especially sources that can include toxics such pesticides and heavy metals - are safe for people to breathe. To protect public health, the coarse standard needs to cover all particles.

The science is overwhelmingly clear that your proposal does not protect the public health. Please follow the Clean Air Act and set the national standard at a level that truly will protect public health -- an annual standard of 12 ug/m3 and a daily standard and a daily of 25 ug/m3.

Thank you for considering my comments.

Sincerely,
/Your Name/
/Your Address/

We signed the “Support Stronger Air Pollution Health Standards” petition!

# 17,290:

3:55 am PDT, Jun 22, Tina Florell, Sweden

# 17,289:

9:27 am PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, New York
I had quit going out for dinner or dancing because of smoke filled rooms...

# 17,288:

11:39 am PDT, Jun 19, Tasha Chenoweth, California

# 17,287:

7:40 am PDT, Jun 18, Marian Thie, Netherlands

# 17,286:

12:34 pm PDT, Jun 16, Frans Goossens, Belgium

# 17,285:

7:15 am PDT, Jun 15, Brian H, North Carolina

# 17,284:

7:51 pm PDT, Jun 14, Krista Shackleford, North Carolina
There are cities where the elderly, very young, and those with health problems cannot venture outside safely. Others wear masks. That isn't normal. How long until no one can venture outside at all due to all toxins. Then the trees and plants will die, animals, then, finally, us. It need not be like this.

# 17,283:

10:07 pm PDT, Jun 12, Andrey Tavera, New York

# 17,282:

6:17 pm PDT, Jun 12, Mustang Beam, Montana
Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this petition and all the signatures on it.

# 17,281:

9:44 am PDT, Jun 12, Holly Tallichet, Pennsylvania

# 17,280:

1:05 pm PDT, Jun 11, Samuel Mielcarski, Georgia
People should have the right to choose the kind of car they will drive, the food they eat, the air they breathe, ultimately, the life they want to live. Electric cars are not only sensible, but a step toward a better future for all. Greed of a select few should not dictate life on Earth, "what is good for the whole" should.

# 17,279:

6:43 pm PDT, Jun 10, Angelica M Cortinas, New Jersey

# 17,278:

10:11 am PDT, Jun 10, Kevin Sheehan, Texas

# 17,277:

9:05 pm PDT, Jun 7, Martha Inglis_mckenzie, Canada

# 17,276:

4:37 pm PDT, Jun 7, Daniel Walker, Virginia
Not only should we have better air standards we should all have the ability to purchase a quality electric car at a low price..

# 17,275:

9:45 am PDT, Jun 7, Elizabeth Graddy, Indiana
What are you going to tell your grandchildren when wwe can no longer go outside the dome... that's where were headed

# 17,274:

8:35 pm PDT, Jun 6, Zigmund Connell, Massachusetts

# 17,273:

10:41 am PDT, Jun 6, Joe Haynes, West Virginia
The Oil Industry is running scared and for good reason; their time is up as the "Big Dog" and to the Auto Industry and Politicans, "It's time for you get off the Oil Industries Tit cause it's drying up fast and becoming very unpopular."

# 17,272:

8:07 pm PDT, Jun 5, Dianne Reinert, Wisconsin

# 17,271:

3:09 pm PDT, Jun 4, Kimberly Applequist, Nebraska
Please support low-polluting alternative powered cars!

# 17,270:

11:31 am PDT, Jun 4, Mike Miller, Arizona

# 17,269:

11:22 pm PDT, Jun 2, Matt Holcomb, California
Please, I urge you to tread the uneasy path and let your decisions be governed in conscious and firm-footed practicality. Money is the root of motivation. Money is the root of action. Liberal idealists have vision, but they simply don�t understand that change must not come from the consumer, but lawmakers and corporations. Corporations must be fiscally rewarded for manufacturing environmentally conscious products. Consumers must be given tax incentives to purchase these products. Change costs money, and until the government creates policy that can assuage corporations to produce affordable, environment-friendly products and penalize those who do not, my words will only be words�unheard and ignored. I believe I speak the voice of America�s invisible men�the Middle Class. We bear the greatest burden and yet we have no voice. We want our children to live in prosperity. We want to someday retire. We want a piece of land to call our own. But all those wants, all those needs�no matter how dismal they already seem�are nothing in a world of widespread flooding, famine, plague, lawlessness and death. My motivations maybe selfish, but I urge you to make policy so that I, so that WE, can have a world in which the American Dream may still be possible. �Matthew E. Holcomb

# 17,268:

1:47 pm PDT, May 31, Name not displayed, Missouri

# 17,267:

5:46 pm PDT, May 30, Leaona Nicol, Canada
EVERY LIVING CREATURE HAS SOMETHING IN COMMON,WE ALL BREATH AIR. THEREFORE IF YOU WANT TO KEEP LIFE SURVIVING ON EARTH,WE MUST HAVE HEALTHY AIR'''''''''.OTHERWISE THERE WILL BE NOTHING. SO YES WE NEED STRONGER AIR POLLUTION STANDARDS''''''''''.

# 17,266:

2:14 pm PDT, May 30, Tiana Epling, Nevada

# 17,265:

6:28 pm PDT, May 29, Barry Spielvogel, New York

# 17,264:

8:58 am PDT, May 29, Dale Ground, Florida

# 17,263:

6:01 am PDT, May 29, Ronald Neumann, North Carolina
I'm tired of having my inteligence insulted by big business, oil companies and auto makers. My next car will be a PHEV even if I have to build it myself.

# 17,262:

11:53 am PDT, May 26, Faith Smith, Florida

# 17,261:

6:26 am PDT, May 26, Veronica Ambler, United Kingdom

# 17,260:

11:15 pm PDT, May 25, SANDY MENDOZA, Colorado

# 17,259:

10:15 am PDT, May 25, Chelsea Braden, Ohio

# 17,258:

7:22 am PDT, May 25, Michael Zeidler, Illinois
Do what is right for our childrens future, NOT for todays special interests!

# 17,257:

4:51 pm PDT, May 23, Name not displayed, Iowa
What's more important that being able to breathe with the satisfaction of knowing we are doing all we can to keep it clean? That should be a given--not something we should have to request! Do the responsible, common sense, requirement and let us live without such harm to our bodies. You have the power. That's why you are in the position you are in. Take it seriously.

# 17,256:

8:53 pm PDT, May 22, PHILLIP CAROTHERS, Oklahoma
IT JUST MAKES SENSE. WE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEMAND ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND GET THEM FROM AUTO MANUFACTURERS.

# 17,255:

9:00 am PDT, May 22, Laurel Mitton, Massachusetts

# 17,254:

6:35 pm PDT, May 21, Linda Du Frane, Wisconsin

# 17,253:

6:12 am PDT, May 21, Name not displayed, Indiana

# 17,252:

4:07 pm PDT, May 20, Margy Lundstrom, California

# 17,251:

7:17 pm PDT, May 19, John Marrin, Connecticut

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Support Stronger Air Pollution Health Standards

This petition has been closed.