Sierra Club
On the last Thursday in January and the first Monday in February, hundreds of citizens turned out at three EPA hearings, held in Washington, D.C., Texas, and California, to support the agency's proposed new standards to better protect Americans from air pollution. Based on recent scientific evidence about the harmful effects of ground-level ozone, or smog, the agency is proposing to strengthen air-quality standards, which were last updated in 2008. That's a contingent from the D.C. hearing, above.
Washington, D.C.
The hearings kicked off on January 29 in Washington, D.C., with testimony from more than 140 clean air activists -- everyone from parents to health experts to environmental advocates to local leaders from D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and beyond. Despite the differences in location, profession, and even age, all these witnesses had one thing in common: the desire to protect the health and wellness of all Americans through strong smog pollution standards.
With more than two-thirds of the testimonials coming from Sierra Club voices -- including the Sierra Student Coalition and Beyond Coal Campaign Director Mary Anne Hitt -- it was more than clear that it's time for stronger ground level ozone standards from the EPA. As Hitt testified, "The American people shouldn't have to wait any longer for action on cleaning up the smog."
Of the 175 people who came out to show their support for the EPA's proposed new smog standards, 141 testified in favor of the new, tougher standards, while 33 testified against.
Arlington, Texas
The same day, more than 200 Texas residents, including children, parents and doctors from across the state came to another hearing in Arlington, Texas, in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Concerned citizens from neighboring Louisiana and Oklahoma came to testify at the hearing as well.
As in D.C., supporters of clean air far outnumbered those giving testimony opposing the tougher smog standards. Some 200 people turned out for the hearing, with 102 clean air supporters testifying in favor of the new standards and just 13 people opposing. Meanwhile, 130 people showed their support for the EPA's tougher standards at a rally outside Arlington City Hall.
At the rally, Addie Geheb, at left,the granddaughter Dr. John Kissel, a retired primary care physician who flew in from St. Louis for the event, stood out in her long-sleeved shirt reading a sparkly “60 ppb,” signifying the ask for a stronger limit to the amount of smog pollution in our atmosphere.
She wasn’t alone in showing support for a strong smog standard that would protect health.
Dr. Neil Carman, Clean Air Program Director with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, testified before the EPA and also told NewsFix, the local CW affiliate that, “The Dallas-Fort Worth area has the highest rate of pediatric asthma in the State of Texas.”
Medical professionals, parents of asthmatics, and others testifying before the EPA made it clear to the agency that Texans want clean air for the good of their health. That Lone Star Chapter director Reggie James, below, testifying at the hearing.
The hearing in Arlington lasted nearly all day, and the news quickly spread across the state. An Associated Press story made its rounds on local news sites pointing to a key reason to strengthen the standard in the region: The EPA’s air quality index shows the Dallas-Fort Worth area had the most days with unhealthy levels of ozone in 2014 in Texas. The Dallas Morning News also featured the testimonies of medical professionals and clean air advocates in the region’s largest daily newspaper.
Sacramento, California
Two days later in Sacramento, California, more than 400 citizens showed up for the final smog hearing, with nearly half of them testifying. Among those who made the trip to Sacramento were 107 students from Desert Mirage High School in Thermal, California, who boarded a bus at 1:00 a.m. to make the 500-mile trip to the state capital.
"It's hard to describe how powerful their testimony was, and the courage it took for them to share their stories," says Evan Gillespie, a Southern California-based organizer with the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign. "Student after student came up and shared their personal story, many of them noting that they made the trip to speak for their parents, siblings, or friends who suffer from asthma or other smog-related ailments. The stories were deeply moving and left audience members and EPA staff alike visibly shaken, choked-up, and teary-eyed. (Read this newspaper story about the students' trip to Sacramento.)
Another bus left Los Angeles at 5:00 a.m. to make it to the capital in time for the pre-hearing rally in Cesar Chavez Plaza Park, below, near the state capitol, and a contingent of 80+ people made the trek from the San Francisco Bay Area. During the hearing, one of the three EPA administrators said, "This is really impressive; thank you for coming all this way. In my 38 years with the EPA I have never seen anything like this before."
By the end of the day, some 186 students, moms, dads, teachers, doctors, nurses, faith leaders, and others came out to urge the EPA to strengthen ozone standards; a total of 12 people spoke out against the agency's new, tougher standards.
Below, a chalk drawing in Cesar Chavez Plaza Park.
The EPA is still accepting public comments through March 17. Send your comments today in support of strong smog protections.
Cindy Carr and Dan Byrnes of the Sierra Club's Communications Media Team contributed to this article.