October 04, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Milagros R. Elia
Program Manager, Climate and Clean Energy Advocacy
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments milagros@envirn.org
914.455.1165
Nurses Celebrate Denials to Delay Important Public Health Protections
WASHINGTON – In an important win for clean air and public health, today the U.S. Supreme Court denied applications for a stay of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Technology Review rule, which updates limits on hazardous air pollutant (also known as air toxics) emissions from power plants and requires more robust monitoring to ensure compliance.
In response to today’s announcement, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environment’s (ANHE) Executive Director Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement:
“Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that poses significant harm to all people in the U.S., particularly children and vulnerable populations. The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments has long supported public health protections for frontline communities and we are glad to see that delayed implementation of the MATS Technology Review rule has been denied. We look forward to communities experiencing the anticipated health benefits of reduced air toxics from some of the dirtiest coal-fired power plants in the country.”
The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) is represented by The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) who also represents Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, Clean Wisconsin, Natural Resources Council of Maine, and the Ohio Environmental Council as intervenors defending the MATS Technology Review rule.
Section 112 of the Clean Air Act requires EPA to periodically review standards for these particularly harmful pollutants—including mercury, a potent neurotoxin, and cancer-causing metals like arsenic and chromium—and was intended to ensure the standards keep up with developments in emissions control measures. The Supreme Court’s denial of a stay follows a similar ruling from the D.C. Circuit, where briefing is underway.
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The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments is the only national nursing organization focused solely on the intersection of health and the environment. The mission of the Alliance is to promote healthy people and healthy environments by educating and leading the nursing profession, advancing research, incorporating evidence-based practice, and influencing policy. http://enviRN.org
