Reject Federal Cuts to Clean Water, Clean Air, and Healthy Communities
It wasn’t that long ago that contaminated rivers caught fire, lakes were too polluted to sustain life, and air in cities was choking us with smog. This was just over 54 years ago, prior to the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since that time, the EPA has played an indispensable role in making our water safe to drink, our air clean to breathe, and our communities safe places to live.
Despite progress achieved by the EPA to protect our environment and health, the President has proposed to slash the EPA budget by 65%. If this draconian cut is adopted, the agency would lose thousands of staff that serve critical functions and decimate the agency’s ability to address a broad range of significant responsibilities, including protecting drinking water, fighting climate change, cleaning up toxic contamination, restoring waterways, and much more.
Our representatives in Congress have the power to STOP these ill-advised and life-threatening cuts. Will your representative’s side with polluters, or will they side with the people they represent who need clean air to breathe and clean water to drink?
Email your federal representatives in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate today!
Background
EPA has played an indispensable role in making our water safe to drink, our air clean to breathe, and our communities safe places to live. EPA success stories from New York State, Connecticut, and the nation include:
Fighting Acid Rain: Acid rain—largely derived from power plants in the Midwest—decimated forests, destroyed monuments, killed hundreds of lakes in the Adirondacks, and increased nitrogen pollution in Long Island Sound—causing algal blooms and harming aquatic life. EPA has since led efforts to slash power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, the precursors to acid rain. New York and Connecticut’s waters, forests, and monuments are no longer plagued by acid rain like they once were.
Restoring the Long Island Sound (LIS) and the Great Lakes: EPA formed the Long Island Sound Study, a NY-CT partnership that has led a successful bi-state effort to restore the Sound. Over the last 25 years, this program has restored 3,000 acres of habitat and tidal wetlands, reduced nitrogen pollution entering the Sound by 50 million pounds annually, and vastly improved both water quality and the health of local fisheries. EPA leads the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which was established in 2010. The GLRI has invested billions of dollars in over 8,100 projects to clean up toxic hot spots, fight invasive species, restore habitat, and more.
Protecting Clean Air to Breathe: Since 1970, EPA has led implementation of the Clean Air Act. Emissions of common air pollutants decreased 77% while our economy more than tripled. These pollution reductions prevented more than 2.3 million premature deaths, 200,000 heart attacks, millions of cases of respiratory problems (e.g. asthma attacks), and 135,000 hospital admissions. They also prevented 17 million lost workdays and 5 million lost school days.
Federal Efforts to Turn Back the Clock on Environmental Protection
Despite progress achieved by the EPA to protect our environment and health, the President has proposed to slash the EPA budget by 65%. In New York State and Connecticut, this would threaten EPA’s ability to address a host of issues, including:
Protecting Clean Air: EPA leads efforts to prevent out-of-state air pollution. As much as 96% of air pollution impacting Connecticut on high ozone days originates from outside the state. High ozone contributes to respiratory problems such as asthma, with disproportionate impacts on the developing lungs of children. In New York State, studies show that approximately 60% of air pollution-related early deaths are from out-of-state emissions.
Restoring Long Island Sound and the Great Lakes: Efforts to protect and restore Long Island Sound and the Great Lakes are funded through the EPA budget. Major cuts to these successful programs would undo years of progress, causing harm to fishing, water quality, public health, and tourism in New York and Connecticut.
Fighting Climate Change: EPA conducts research and takes action to fight climate change. Major cuts to the EPA would eviscerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, protect vulnerable coastal communities, and adapt to climate change locally. Connecticut and New York are on the front lines of global climate change, with increased severe storm events, flooding, and rising sea levels threatening our coastal communities.
Protecting Drinking Water: EPA sets and enforces standards to protect drinking water from toxic chemicals. EPA is leading efforts to remove toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” from drinking water, which has been found in numerous drinking water systems across New York and Connecticut.
