Press Releases

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted an amendment to the Environment and Interior Division of H.R. 7608, proposed by Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Congressman Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Congressman A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), and Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) which would block EPA from finalizing an insufficiently protective National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for PM 2.5, or soot. EPA’s proposed standard fails to protect our communities, particularly low-wealth and communities of color from harmful air pollution during a global health pandemic. These communities are already experiencing a disproportionately high death rate from COVID-19 made worse by decades of exposure to toxic pollution.

“Environmental Justice communities have long experienced the consequences of exposure to air pollution caused by soot. The EPA’s job is to protect our health and the environment. This standard proposed by the EPA is simply insufficient, especially during this moment,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester, a member of the Energy & Commerce Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee. “I’m pleased that the House adopted my amendment to send the EPA back to the drawing board to come up with a standard that will actually protect Americans from air pollution. I’m thankful to my colleagues, Congressman Tonko, Congressman McEachin and Congressman Rush for joining me in offering this amendment, and look forward to the passage of the Environment and Interior Appropriations package.” 

“Study after study has proven that dirty air leads to increased rates of cancer, aggravated asthma, and heart problems – all pre-existing conditions that elevate individual’s susceptibility to COVID-19. Still, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, a respiratory disease, Trump’s EPA refuses to lead and adopt the stronger standards we need to ensure the safety of our communities,” said Rep. McEachin. “We must take action now to strengthen standards for particulate matter and I am pleased to stand alongside Congresswoman Blunt Rochester and Chairman Rush for in the fight for cleaner air and a healthy environment.”

“The EPA knows and has acknowledged the disproportionate impact air pollution has on communities of color, yet Administrator Wheeler continues to make decisions that put the health of these already vulnerable groups at risk,” said Rep. Rush.  “It defies logic that Trump’s EPA would not do everything in its power to improve air quality, especially amidst an ongoing pandemic that preys on weakened respiratory systems.  I am grateful to Representatives Blunt Rochester and McEachin for standing shoulder to shoulder with me in our collective fight against environmental racism and injustice.”

EPA’s own analysis estimates that even if the air quality across the country met the current standard – which it doesn’t – that approximately 50,000 Americans per year would still suffer from early deaths due to the effects of particulate matter. Exposure to air pollution can cause both acute and chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and lung cancer.

The COVID-19 public health crisis demonstrates just how critical protective air quality standards are to the health of all Americans. In particular, low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and studies are linking this to the decades of exposure to toxic air pollution these communities have historically been burdened with.

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