Soot kills. It causes respiratory ailments, heart attacks, premature deaths, and a wide range of other serious health problems. But existing safeguards against deadly soot pollution have been shown to be inadequate for communities living in the shadow of coal-fired power plants.

Friday morning, the EPA is expected to announce its long-awaited rule on soot pollution. In communities across the country, families deserve to know their air is safe. Now you have until Thursday night to make sure the EPA follows through on its months of studies and delivers a strong, scientific soot safeguard.

Stand up for life-saving soot protections. Send a message supporting strong soot safeguards now!

Subject: Soot is deadly -- Protect our families, deliver a strong standard

Dear President Obama and Administrator Jackson,

I am excited to see the Obama Administration moving forward with an update to the existing soot standards, which doctors and independent experts confirm are not strong enough to protect public health.

In order to save more lives and prevent more illness, I respectfully urge you to strengthen the standards beyond the levels that have been proposed. Please stand strong against corporate polluters and deliver an annual standard of 11 μg/m³ and a daily standard of 25 μg/m³.

The science is clear -- soot is deadly. Health professionals tell us that it is one of the most dangerous and widespread pollutants, and that thousands of Americans die prematurely each year because their air is literally unsafe to breathe. Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory and cardiovascular ailments are particularly vulnerable. Every family has someone at risk of being harmed from exposure to soot pollution.

I commend the Obama Administration for all that you have done to clean up our air and water and hold corporate polluters accountable. We are moving in the right direction, and families everywhere are counting on you to keep up the momentum. Please deliver a soot standard that is fully protective of public health.