Dear Supporter,

This week, the Biden Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an updated, more protective standard for soot pollution, one of the most deadly and destructive air pollutants that is responsible for over 100,000 deaths in the United States every year. This is thanks in large part to the 700,000 comments that supporters like you delivered to the EPA!

Some 91 million people live in counties with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Communities of color are disproportionately exposed to higher-than-average levels of soot and other dangerous pollutants. Additionally, climate change will make this problem worse, as heatwaves exacerbate the impact of soot pollution.

Years of work from Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign and advocates like you secured this new environmental rule! This action will prevent more than 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays per year while saving billions in health costs when the standards are in full effect. 

Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous applauded this rule and the benefits of "keeping kids in school, and protecting ourselves and our neighbors from the very real risks of asthma, heart attacks, and premature death."

But of course industry is pushing back hard on this win and continues to spread misinformation about the costs of these new standards and other environmental regulations while downplaying the massive public health benefits. With your support, Supporter, we can show the EPA that there is strong public support nationwide to reduce soot pollution and enact rules to protect people, not polluters.

Tell the EPA and the Biden Administration to stand up to big polluters and prioritize public health!

With tens of thousands of lives lost each year to deadly soot pollution, the EPA has taken a crucial step to protect our health and clean up our air.

With a looming election, this administration must finish the job and finalize environmental standards that will protect the most vulnerable communities from the harms of fossil fuels. The EPA must protect people, not polluters!

Thank you for your work to protect our health, our communities, and our planet.

Sincerely,
Sierra Club Action Team

P.S. Have you already signed our petition? Make an impact by sharing this victory over social media to pressure the EPA to protect our health and our planet!