Dear President Biden and EPA Administrator Regan:

We are parents, seniors, doctors, young people, small business owners, and families living in communities across America, all concerned about power plant pollution in our neighborhoods and the impacts of climate change. We proudly stand with the more than 300 public health, youth and environmental organizations who joined together in the Climate Action Campaign’s Solutions for Pollution campaign and submitted nearly 2 million public comments to the EPA calling for stronger pollution protections.

We are extremely grateful to you for the work you have done since 2021 to tackle the climate crisis and clean up our air, including:

-Passing the largest ever climate and clean energy investments in the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

-Committing resources to build out our clean energy future in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA)

-Dedicating your climate and clean energy policies to advancing environmental justice and serving communities of color through the Justice40 initiative

-Working to set stronger standards for dangerous pollution like mercury, methane, soot, wastewater and other power plant pollution

-Taking the initial steps to slash carbon pollution from new and existing power plants.

However, we know we have just a short window of time to finalize these important protections.

The impact of air pollution and climate pollution on our health is clear. Children, pregnant people, older adults, and individuals with heart and lung disease are more susceptible to air pollution and climate pollution and need you to act to protect the health and safety of our families.

There is also an economic cost to inaction. Extreme weather events, directly linked to climate change, are occurring at an alarming rate. From January to July of 2023 we endured fifteen confirmed climate disaster events with $1 billion or more in losses, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and that did not include the tragic loss of life and property from the unprecedented wildfires in Maui or the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Idalia.

As President of the United States and Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you both have vast responsibility and authority to protect our health.

Our health – and our climate – can’t wait! It’s time to act boldly and swiftly to finalize and implement the strongest possible pollution standards by May of 2024 to meet your climate, public health and environmental justice goals.

Thank you!