November 25th, 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
EPA proposes stronger standards on NOx Emission for New Gas-Burning Power Plants
WASHINGTON, DC – On November 22, 2024 the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)proposed updated standards for NOx pollution from gas-fired power plants for the first time since 2006.
The proposal would protect people from nitrogen oxides (NOx) – contaminants that are emitted by gas power plants and contribute to particle pollution and smog.
In response to the EPA’s announcement, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environment’s (ANHE) Executive Director Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement:
“The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments supports the EPA proposed NOx pollution standard for new gas-fired power plants as an important step to reduce dangerous emissions and improve health. However, this has been long overdue in being reviewed, and current NOx limits are now out of date.
“Nurses understand that dangerous NOx pollution from power plants contributes to smog and soot pollution, which increases the public health risk of heart disease, stroke, and respiratory disease. These impacts disproportionately affect communities living near power plants who have historically borne the brunt of air pollution. More must be done to protect people and communities from dangerous NOx pollution. We strongly urge the EPA to finalize this standard as an important first step in protecting public health.”
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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
