{"id":66,"date":"2011-05-17T07:58:09","date_gmt":"2011-05-17T12:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/?p=66"},"modified":"2011-05-17T07:58:35","modified_gmt":"2011-05-17T12:58:35","slug":"epa-comment-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/epa-comment-period\/","title":{"rendered":"Comment Period Now Open for Proposed EPA Rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

The proper role of government\u2014how big it should be, and what, exactly, it should be doing\u2014is a hot topic in our country.\u00a0 Some say too many government regulations are slowing economic growth and preventing companies from creating new jobs.\u00a0 Others say government has a critical role to play in revitalizing our economy and protecting our families and our communities from harm.<\/p>\n

So what if a regulation will cost businesses money and time in the short term, but will protect us from toxic pollution for years to come?<\/p>\n

On May 3, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule under the federal Clean Air Act to limit emissions of toxic chemicals, including mercury, arsenic, lead and dioxin, from power plants.\u00a0 The rules will also limit emissions of fine particles into the air. The public now has 60 days to comment on the proposed rule. Click here<\/a>\u00a0to provide your feedback.<\/p>\n

Why is this rule needed now?\u00a0 Power companies have fought these regulations for 20 years, arguing that they will have to raise rates in order to install the new equipment necessary to reduce emissions of mercury and other toxics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, the pollutants the rule will reduce are extremely hazardous. Mercury, for example, affects brain development, making even small exposures dangerous for children and women who are pregnant or could become pregnant.\u00a0 The EPA estimates that as many as one in every six women in the U.S. has blood mercury levels high enough to put a developing baby at risk.\u00a0 All 50 states have mercury advisories for consumption of at least some of the fish found in their lakes, rivers and streams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the EPA<\/a>, nearly fifty percent of the mercury in our air and water (and fish!) comes from emissions from coal-burning power plants. This new rule will ultimately reduce those emissions by 91 percent. More than half of U.S. power plants already have pollution control equipment that meets the new standards\u2014these new requirements will level the playing field by requiring that all power plants protect the public\u2019s health from harmful emissions.<\/p>\n

Mercury is only one of the toxic pollutants that will be reduced by this new rule. Other pollutants affected by the rule are linked to cancer, heart disease, chronic asthma and other significant health problems.\u00a0 These health problems cost all of us\u2014in higher insurance rates, in loss of productivity, and especially in loss of lives.\u00a0 Among other benefits, the EPA estimates that by 2016 the new rules will help to prevent more than 12,000 emergency visits annually and 850,000 days of lost work.\u00a0 The agency estimates that the rule\u2019s restriction on fine particle emissions alone could save between $59 and $140 billion in health care costs annually in 2016.<\/p>\n

Martin Luther wrote that government is the means \u201cby which most of all God preserves to us our daily bread and all the comforts of this life.\u201d\u00a0 It seems to me that reducing highly toxic pollution and thereby improving public health fits his definition of good government.\u00a0 What do you think?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The proper role of government\u2014how big it should be, and what, exactly, it should be doing\u2014is a hot topic in our country.\u00a0 Some say too many government regulations are slowing economic growth and preventing companies from creating new jobs.\u00a0 Others say government has a critical role to play in revitalizing our economy and protecting our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[168],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-care-for-creation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nComment Period Now Open for Proposed EPA Rule - ELCA Advocacy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/epa-comment-period\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Comment Period Now Open for Proposed EPA Rule - 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