To the Editor, Albany Herald, May 5, 2017
Thank you for your April 20 coverage on air quality. The Lung Association’s State of the Air report citing improvements in air quality underscores the progress the Clean Air Act has made in cleaning up the air we breathe and saving lives.
Dougherty County received a grade of D for 24 hour air particle monitoring, but a passing grade for overall air particle levels, which is good news for the community. Particle pollution is made up of microscopic specks of soot, metals, acids and other very tiny particles that come many sources including coal-fired power plants, diesel vehicles, wood burning and wild fires.
It is distressing to hear that the Clean Air Act is under attack at the federal level and proposed funding cuts threaten the EPA. As a mother and grandmother, I value the need for healthy air, both now and for the future. To continue the progress our nation has made, the Trump Administration, EPA Administrator Pruitt, and members of Congress—including our own Senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue and Representative Sanford Bishop, must fully fund, implement and enforce the Clean Air Act for all pollutants, including those that drive climate change. We cannot afford to take a step back now.
Katherine Cummings
Mothers and Others for Clean Air
Project Manager for Georgia
