A new bill to terminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just been proposed by Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie, Mississippi Congressman Steven Palazzo, and Georgia Congressman Barry Loudermilk.
This would be devastating for our environment and our health and safety. The EPA protects Americans’ health and the environment and is also responsible for writing regulations based on laws passed by Congress to ensure environmental protection. They research and educate others about environmental issues. The organization also works with other nations to ensure environmental protection all over the world.
Some of the major accomplishments of the EPA have been the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
The Clean Air Act, introduced in 1970, was designed to control air pollution. The bill has many parts and provisions, including the prevention of companies releasing hazardous air pollutants into the environment. It established National Ambient Air Standards, which measure how healthy the air is in an area for humans to live in. It also regulates motor vehicle and aircraft emissions, acid deposition, and noise pollution. People living in America can breathe easy knowing the EPA are protecting their air.
The Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, regulates pollutants released into our bodies of water and water sources. It also gave the EPA power to “implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry.” It also funds the construction of sewage treatment plants.
In addition, the EPA is responsible for environmental crisis management, such as cleaning up oil and chemical spills and provide facts and predictions on how climate change is affecting the world around us and our health and livelihoods.
This is a fact: the four Congressmen who wrote this bill into existence and any Congressperson who votes in favor of it are willing to deny the reality of climate change and put the American people’s lives at risk.
The EPA protects our air, water, and health. Terminating it would be disastrous decision.
So how do we fight them? How do we stop this horrendous bill from even being considered? First, call your senators and representatives. Express your concerns and question how the country will function without the EPA. Who will regulate our water? Keep our air clean? Where will the data collected by EPA researchers go? Where will the EPA employees go?
In addition, contact the four Congressmen who proposed this bill in the first place. Be persistent, clear, and concise. Let your government know you are not content with their actions. Let them know their reelection into Congress is at risk if they follow through on passing a bill that puts human lives at risk.
The EPA is integral to the protection of our environment and the safety of our people. Protect it.
