Testimony of Julie Moyle, MSN RN 

Re: Clean Power Plan 

EPA Hearings, July 29, 2014 

Denver, CO 

My name is Julie Moyle, RN, MSN, and I am a Master's prepared registered nurse. I currently practice as 

a staff nurse at an outpatient surgery center in Boulder, CO and I also serve as an Outreach Specialist for 

the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, a growing movement of over 1000 hospitals and health systems 

throughout the US and Canada which are addressing sustainability by implementing best environmental 

practices. 

As a nurse, I swore an oath to care for my patients by protecting, restoring and advocating for their 

health and well-being. That is why I am here today, and to support the EPA's Clean Power Plan that will 

reduce carbon pollution from power plants and support renewable energy options. This proposal will 

substantially improve air quality and ultimately, public health. 

Carbon pollution has direct and indirect adverse impacts on human health: directly, as we take in our 35 

gallons of air via our 20,000 respirations each day, we breathe in the surrounding air and all that it 

contains. Today, that outside air includes over 400cppm, and other toxic air pollutants, like nitrogen 

oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, ozone and particulate matter, all of which are known human hazards 

and are linked to such diseases as asthma, lung infections, and respiratory diseases, as well as birth 

defects and neurological disorders, including diminished ICI. — Children are most susceptible because 

their lungs are still developing, and they often spend more time outdoors than adults. 

Indirectly, carbon pollution adversely impacts our health because it is the primary contributing factor of 

global warming and climate change. In a 2010 letter to the President and Members of Congress, over 85 

health organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Lung Association, 

American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, and the American Public Health 

Association, among many others, are on record stating: 

"Climate change is a serious public health issue. As temperatures rise, more Americans will be 

exposed to conditions that can result in illness and death due to respiratory illness, heat- and 

weather-related stress and disease carried by insects. These health issues are likely to have the 

greatest impact on our most vulnerable communities, including children, older adults, those 

with serious health conditions and the most economically disadvantaged."' 
Carbon pollution is the public health threat of our time. However, currently there are no national 

limits on the amount of carbon pollution emitted into the atmosphere. The Clean Power Plan would 

change that, and is a good starting point, because we all know you cannot manage what you cannot 

measure. To that end, I would like to share with you an idea and hope that was expressed by one of the 

lead authors of the US Climate Assessment Report: that cppm as a statistic, would become as popular, 

understood, and visible in our society as the NYSE Dow Jones Industrial average and the daily weather. 

Our scientists and researchers, backed by the laws of math and physics, inform us to the consequences 

of this road we are on in terms of unchecked energy consumption and the resulting carbon pollution — a 

sicker, poorer, and more violent society.' If we are to chart a different future, turning this tide begins 

with mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, namely carbon pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. 

Reducing carbon pollution will result in less illness and less days lost at work and school; less disability; 

fewer deaths; reduced hospitalizations and other related health care costs which all equate to a savings 

to our economy $1.3trillion (9.6% of GDP);" Seventy two (72%) of American voters support strong 

limits on carbon emissions"; health care providers, amongst the most trusted of any professionals, 

endorse it"; and it is time. 

Thank you for this opportunity to share my comments. 

References: 

1. Bose-O'Reilly et ai. 2010. rasari-E _ 

2. U.S. EPA. Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen, 2008. 

3. U.S. EPA. InteRrated Science Assessment for Sulfur dioxide. 2008. 

4. U.S. EPA, Integrated Science Assessment for Ozone and other Photochemical Oxidants, 20131 U.S. 

5. EPA. Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter, 2009. 

6. September 28, 2010 letter to the President and Members of Congress. Available at: 

7. Bornstein, Seth. Warming Report Sees Violent, Sicker, Poorer Future. The Associated Press. Nov. 2, 

2013. Available at: 

8. US EPA. Office of Air and Radiation. (2011). The benefits and costs of the clean air act: 1990 to 2020. 

Accessed at: http://www.epa.gov/air/sect812/feb11/summaryreport.pdf. 

9. Goodstein et al. (2010). Economics for equity and environment. Climate policy and jobs - What 

economists know, Economics for Equity and the Environment. Available at: 
10. American Lung Association. (2011). Survey Says: Bipartisan Voters Nationwide Support the Clean Air 

Act, Oppose Congressional Interference. Available at: 

11. Anderko, L., Chalupka, S., & Afzal, B. (2012). Climate change and health: The role of health 

providers. Washington DC: Catholic Health Association.