Rule will save up to thousands of lives
Soot is composed of tiny microscopic particles that penetrate deep within the lungs often triggering respiratory harm and even premature death. (Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)
No one likes to breathe dirty and polluted air. Unfortunately, for some communities there may be little to no choice.
But today, the EPA took a step in the right direction to clean up soot pollution and protect millions of Americans forced to breathe dirty air. Administrator Lisa Jackson announced a tightened standard that will limit soot pollution in many major metropolitan areas across the country, cleaning up the smokestacks and tailpipes that belch out this dirty pollution.
The current standard, set in 1997, is outdated, prompting our legal action against the EPA. Last year, we partnered with the American Nurses Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Hip Hop Caucus, and the National Council of Churches to collectively call on Congress and federal regulators to protect citizens from preventable air pollution. This effort, dubbed 50 States United for Healthy Air educated stakeholders on the need for strong clean air protections for all Americans. Thankfully, some voices on Capitol Hill got the message and called on the EPA to set forth strong soot standards.
Soot is composed of tiny microscopic particles that penetrate deep within the lungs often triggering respiratory harm and even premature death. Prevailing winds can carry soot across state and county lines.
Too often low-income and communities of color shoulder a disproportionate share of this dirty air burden.
Ruth McDermott, Ph.D, RN
(Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)Ruth McDermott, a Pennsylvania-based 50 States United Clean Air Ambassador, said:
The poor frequently have the greatest environmental burden related to air quality as they often live in industrialized areas that bring increased asthma risks.
Congressmen Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) joined forces on a letter from 54 colleagues in the House of Representatives, touting the environmental justice benefits of setting a strong soot standard. Acknowledging that we have a special responsibility to clean up air pollution for overburdened communities was a welcome sign of solidarity for those who experience the adverse impacts of soot and various others form of air pollution.
But the pressure didn’t stop there. More than 600 doctors, nurses, scientists and health professionals joined forces and asked the president to protect the most sensitive people: the very young, seniors, and those with heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes. The scientists and health professionals asked that new federal standards be set at levels that will protect these sensitive people with an adequate margin of safety, as required by the Clean Air Act.
With this public outcry, the EPA needed nudging and so Earthjustice attorneys headed to court to force action. This summer, Earthjustice successfully won a federal court decision requiring the EPA to set forth updated soot pollution limits. Thereafter, the agency proposed updating soot air quality standards that have remained largely unchanged since 1997.
Today, the EPA finalized a health-protective standard that our allies in Congress, health care, and the social justice communities were all calling on to provide much-needed relief for the most vulnerable citizens.
We will still need to remain vigilant in making sure the standards are carried out. But make no mistake: this was a big victory for millions of lungs in communities everywhere.
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http://www.arb.ca.gov/ei/ei.htm
- you'll see that brake dust and tire wear today account for more fine particles than diesel trucks in California.
Check out http://www.arb.ca.gov/ei/ei.htm- there you'll see that brake dust and tire wear account for more fine particles than heavy duty diesel trucks, for example.
Since 2007 PM emissions from diesel trucks nationwide have been near zero. Emissions from other sources of fine particles are now coming clearer as other sources get cleaner.
UC Riverside study found that you'd have to drive a 2012 heavy duty commercial diesel truck 143 miles to emit the same particulate matter as charbroiling a single hamburger.
Check out http://www.arb.ca.gov/ei/ei.htm- there you'll see that brake dust and tire wear account for more fine particles than heavy duty diesel trucks, for example.
Since 2007 PM emissions from diesel trucks nationwide have been near zero. Emissions from other sources of fine particles are now coming clearer as other sources get cleaner.
UC Riverside study found that you'd have to drive a 2012 heavy duty commercial diesel truck 143 miles to emit the same particulate matter as charbroiling a single hamburger.
I couldn't actually find that information on this page, or under several links or inside generated reports. Could you point to the exact page, or the procedure for getting there?
Also, if the data you're referencing are "nationwide," then one would also have to look at their contribution in local areas where a lot of diesel trucks operate, such as in neighborhoods near to the nation's ports.
In any case, if indeed we have now progressed far enough that "brake dust and tire wear account for more fine particles than heavy duty diesel trucks" so that "Emissions from other sources of fine particles are now coming clearer as other sources get cleaner," that's testament to the value of the regulations on diesel vehicles. Now we'll have to look to see where we can get the most bang for the buck in further reducing ambient levels, in general and in areas of especially high concentrations.
Congratulations and many thanks for your great work! PLEASE get on the case with the Texas legislature and Gov. Rick Perry. They have pretty much destroyed the EPA in this state.
The city of Midlothian is known as the cement capitol of Texas and is home to 3 cement plants and a steel mill. Pollution flows freely from the open smoke stacks. It is said that these industries are worse polluters for the entire north central part of Texas than all the vehicular polluters in the entire Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex.
We live 12 miles away from Midlothian. My husband has asthma and I have lupus with many complications including breathing. We both suffer from the bad air in this area. So do all the many children who live here too.
Earthjustice has worked with people in Midlothian as part of our cement campaign: http://earthjustice.org/our_work/campaigns/cleaning-up-mercury-protectin...
You may be interested in a revised cement kiln rule that is expected to published later this week.
This is a great step forward, but we can't relax our vigilance! You KNOW that Big Oil and Big Coal, aided by the Repubpukes, are going to try to "weasel out" on complying with the new regulations. So, heads up, comrade environmentalists!
I'm thrilled that the EPA has finally taken a stand. It's up to us to make sure it's implemented. The Clean Air Act is over 30 years old, so I for one, don't want to hear so much as a "peep" from Big Oil, Gas, Coal and the like. They've had more than enough time to prepare for whatever the expense of compliance is, especially since they've been coddled and let off the hook for the last 30 years. Now with their gangster profit records, there must be NO exceptions or excuses from the polluters OR their "friends" in Congress.
Too many have died or are suffering already. So much could have been prevented.
3 or 4 years ago i attended and testified at an EPA public hearing in Philadelphia on the subject of updating air pollution standards. Testimony was presented by organizations of pediatic nurses and physicians, environmental groups, neighborhood groups religious organganizations, et al. Your legal actiions pushed them in the direction they wished but were blocked by politics.
the EPA office will probably send you a transcript if requested,
HOORAY
These Rights must be added to the U.S. Constitution for our earth, air and water.
All must be free of toxins for the United States and the world citizenry.
A giant step in the right direction.
I would like to know to what extent the wear of tires and road surfaces from ordinary vehicles passing through residential areas on major highways contributes to soot and pollution of the air. I live near Hwy 24 passing through Oakland and I can tell you from my experience and that of my neighbors I have never lived in a place where the household dust accumulated so quickly.
We recently took some photos like the one "In the Shadow of the Stacks". These photos brought home to us the extent of the smoke coming from the various plants within a 50 mile radius of our home. Something definitely needs to be done about this and I'm glad to see Earthjustice involved.
Now we need to address the issue of Aerosol Spraying into the atmosphere to supposedly combat Global Warming. These aerosols contain, among other things, Aluminium Oxide, Barium and Strontium. These do much more damage to human health than soot!!!
Stop the SOOT helps stop asthma
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