"If you believe in something, you just can't give up on it. You'd be sort of lying to yourself."
-- Kenny King on his fight to save historic Blair Mountain from mountaintop removal mining.
In this issue:
1) Take Action: Tell Congress to Support Communities, Not Coal Companies
2) Take Action: Clean Up Our Ports!
3) Mercury: New Rules Cut Dangerous Pollution
4) BP Oil Disaster: Worst Yet to Come?
1) Take Action:Tell Congress to Support Communities, Not Coal Companies
175 Members of Congress signed on to factually inaccurate letters pressuring EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to regulate toxic coal ash the same way as household trash, leaving communities at risk as arsenic, lead and mercury seep into our drinking water.
Find out if your legislators added their names and tell them we expect them to support communities, not coal companies!
2) Take Action: Clean Up Our Ports!
More than 87 million Americans live near ports or in coastal communities that have poor air quality. Much of this pollution comes from old, dirty tractor trailers that emit roughly ten to sixty times the diesel pollution of new trucks. The Port of Los Angeles has shown that by requiring new trucks and creating green jobs for drivers, ports can reduce emissions and help business grow.
Help ensure that ports around the countries can implement clean truck programs -- ask your Representative to cosponsor the Clean Ports Act.
Ask your Representative to Cosponsor the Clean Ports Act!
3) Mercury: New Rules Cut Dangerous Pollution
The EPA yesterday announced strong new air pollution rules that will significantly reduce mercury and other hazardous air pollution from cement kilns across the country.
The pollution cuts should bring about $18 billion in health savings annually and could help avoid thousands of premature deaths.
Find out more about the dangers of mercury.
4) BP Oil Disaster: Worst Yet to Come?
As BP tries to declare the massive oil disaster in the Gulf over, scientists are warning that the devastating effects of the oil on marine life may not yet be fully realized.
Large amounts of oil remain under the water where there is evidence that it is entering the food chain, endangering future populations of crab and other economy sustaining seafood.
Image Credit: Italia Millan