LTE – “Life-saving EPA Rules”
The News & Observer
Written by – Alison Lawrence Jones, M&O North Carolina Project Manager
View the original here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article30733491.html#storylink=cpy
Thank you for your Aug. 4 editorial “EPA’s Clean Power Plan promotes the health of people and the planet.” You are right to explain the health benefits of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan while demonstrating the minimal costs.
The Centers for Disease Control’s most recent estimates show 519,735 adults and 322,007 children in N.C. living with asthma. The American Lung Association’s 2015 “State of the Air Report” says more than 107,000 in the Triangle are living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disease that over time makes it harder to breathe. For these individuals, each breath is precious, and cutting carbon pollution will not only help them but will help us all.
Children, older adults and individuals living in poverty are especially affected by pollution. In N.C., that includes millions of people. The Clean Power Plan will immediately reduce air pollutants that cause asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature death. The EPA estimates the health benefits of the Clean Power Plan will include the prevention of up to 3,600 premature deaths and 90,000 childhood asthma attacks by 2030. N.C. cannot afford to cast aside these benefits.
