Toxic air pollution threatens our health

More than half of all Americans live in places with unsafe levels of air pollution, which causes of heart attacks, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, hospital admissions and even deaths year.

Studies show that one in six women of childbearing age has enough mercury in her bloodstream to put her child at risk of health effects should she become pregnant. This means that more than 689,000 out of the 4.1 million babies born every year could be exposed to dangerous levels of mercury.

The consequences are serious: Children who are exposed to even low-dosage levels of mercury in the womb can have impaired brain functions, including verbal, attention, motor control, and language deficits, and lower IQs. When these children are monitored at ages 7 and 14, these impairments still exist — suggesting that the damage caused by mercury may be irreversible.

300,000 acres of Texas lakes contaminated 

Coal-fired power plants spew hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic mercury into our air every year, which falls to earth in the form of rain and contaminates rivers, lakes and streams. Ranking first in the nation, power plants in Texas emitted 11,127 pounds of mercury pollution in 2010. 

Wildlife that is exposed to mercury may have develop more slowly, have reduced fertility or even die, depending on the level of exposure. And it doesn’t take much: Scientists found that a gram of mercury — about a drop — deposited in a mid-sized lake over the course of a year was enough to account for all of the mercury subsequently found in that lake’s fish population.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, mercury impairs 300,000 acres of Texas lakes and the entire Texas Gulf coast. 

With your help, we can save 46,000 lives

Recently, the EPA moved ahead with efforts to significantly reduce mercury, soot and smog pollution, announcing historic new emissions standards that combined could save 46,000 lives a year. Unfortunately, polluters and their allies in Congress launched a coordinated attack to block these critical safeguards.

We’re working closely with our allies in the public health community, lobbying key senators, and rallying thousands of activists stand up for public health.

It won’t be easy, but if enough of us speak out, we can drown out the coal industry lobbyists and make sure that the EPA is allowed to do its job and protect public health.

Join our campaign by sending a message to President Obama right now.



Clean Air updates

News Release | Environment Texas

San Antonio Power Plant Expected to Be Retired

SAN ANTONIO – Environment Texas hailed the expected announcement today by San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro that the city-owned CPS Energy will retire the polluting Deely power plant by the year 2018 and replace its power with additional investments in solar energy. According to research by Environment Texas, in 2009, the Deely plant emitted 3657 tons of nitrogen oxide, a key precursor to smog pollution. The two Deely smokestacks join with the two “Spruce” units to make up the Calaveras Power Station, which an April Environment Texas report found ranked 11th out of the state’s 20 power plants for mercury pollution.  And according to a study by the Clean Air Task Force, power plant pollution in Bexar County is linked to 282 asthma attacks and 11 deaths every year. Environment Texas Director Luke Metzger released the following statement:

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News Release | Environment Texas Research & Policy Center

President Obama & EPA Protect Public Health, Announce Landmark Mercury Standard for Power Plants

AUSTIN– Today, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever nationwide standard for mercury and air toxics pollution from power plants. A record 907,000 Americans submitted comments on the standard, which is expected to cut toxic mercury pollution from power plants by 90 percent.

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Report | Environment Texas Research & Policy Center

Summer Gas Prices: Beating the Heat with Clean Cars

Rapidly rising gas prices across the country are shining a spotlight on the dire consequences of America’s dependence on oil. Our continued use of oil puts our environment, our health, and our national security at risk, and with prices across the country exceeding $4 per gallon, it is putting an incredible burden on our economy and on American families.

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Report | Environment Texas Research & Policy Center

Danger in the Air

All Americans should be able to breathe clean air.  But pollution from power plants and vehicles puts the health of our nation’s children and families at risk.  Ground-level ozone, the main component of smog, is one of the most harmful and one of the most pervasive air pollutants.  According to the American Lung Association, nearly half of all Americans – 48 percent – still live in areas with unhealthy levels of smog pollution. 

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Headline

LCRA and Austin named one of top 50 mercury emitters in U.S.

 

 

AUSTIN —Texas continues to "lead" the nation in mercury pollution, according to a new report that show Texas has six of the nation's top 10 mercury emitters, and the city of Austin and LCRA have one of the nation's top 50 emitters.

 

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