| Hi John, | The EPA is reconsidering the PM2.5 standard and accepting public comments until tomorrow (March 28). | This is a very important opportunity to set tighter air quality standards and, in turn, lower emissions. | | What should you say in your comment? | 1) Ask the EPA to set the 24-hour PM2.5 standard to 25 ug/m3 (more info on this below) | 2) Tell the EPA how the current annual average standard isn't sufficient based on your experience living in Utah | Make your comments personal — let the EPA know how Utah's bad air negatively affects you! | What is PM2.5? | PM2.5 is particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter — microscopic droplets that negatively impact your lungs and heart. | Our bad air days are characterized by how much PM2.5 accumulates in our air. On average, the Salt Lake Valley has 18 days per year when PM2.5 levels exceed the national air quality standards and even more days when bad air harms our health.1 | What are the current standards? | Currently, there are two PM2.5 standards: annually averaged PM2.5 (set to 12 ug/m3) and 24-hour average PM2.5 (set to 35 ug/m3). | Generally, Utah meets the annual average, but we exceed the 24-hour average. And even though we meet the annual average, research shows our air quality is still costing Utahns more than three years of our lives.2 | Logan Mitchell of Utah Clean Energy put together a comprehensive Twitter thread with more info. | Additionally, The Salt Lake tribune recently published two op-eds with more context — one from Dr. Brian Moench (Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment): Your job is to tell the EPA to do its job | And one from Joro Walker (Western Resource Advocates) and Dr. Kathleen McKee (Intermountain Health): Utahns need to tell the EPA to strengthen rules on PM2.5 pollution | Thank you in advance for taking action and using your voice to secure a healthier future! | ___________ | 1 https://research.noaa.gov/article/ArtMID/587/ArticleID/2931/One-facility-makes-a-big-contribution-to-Salt-Lake%E2%80%99s-winter-brown-cloud | 2 https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/11/1238#:~:text=Experts%20estimated%20that%20air%20pollution,the%20state's%20gross%20domestic%20product | | O₂ Utah is an environmental nonprofit whose mission is to clean our state's air and eliminate our contributions to climate change through elections and policy. Donate today to support our work and clean Utah's air. |
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