Transcript:
In February, under the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the repeal of its endangerment finding. This finding provided the legal basis for regulating climate pollution under the Clean Air Act.
Cooper: “I was dismayed. … And as a mother and a grandmother, I couldn’t imagine that the EPA … would take that position.”
Almeta Cooper of the nonprofit Mom’s Clean Air Force worries about how this will affect kids – because in addition to warming the climate, fossil fuel pollution harms people’s health.
Children are especially vulnerable because their lungs are still developing. And those in Black and Brown communities – which are more likely to be located near power plants or highways – bear the greatest burden.
Cooper: “Tailpipe pollution is a huge problem, particularly for chronic diseases such as asthma.
States and environmental groups are pursuing legal challenges. And Cooper’s group is urging legislators to oppose the administration’s action.
Cooper: “We are not going to give up. We are going to continue to speak up and to do everything we can to make sure that we can protect the future of our children and our grandchildren.”
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
