When considering the public health of New Jersey families, the ability to breathe clean air should be a main concern. However, coal-fired power plants and industrial facilities release hundreds of thousands of tons of dangerous pollutants every year. According to a study done by the CleanAir Task Force in 2010, more than 13,000 deaths each year are due to fine-particle matter pollution from U.S. power plants. In order to improve the public health of the nation, the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) has developed a plan to clean up our air, providing new standards that limit air pollution. Unfortunately, Congress has been pressured by vested interests, and the coal industry and has responded with plans to block or delay the standards to be set by the EPA. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) should protect the health of families in New Jersey by ensuring that citizens have clean air. They should work in support of the EPA, rather than delaying its efforts.
Melanie Pingoy
East Brunswick