# :1: AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION ® 

# I Fighting for A ir

AlbertA Rizzo, M.D. Chair National Board of Directors Ross 

### P. Lanzafame, E sq . Chair-Elect National Board of D i rectors H.James Gooden Past-Chair Christine L. Bryant SecretaryfTreasurer Geri Reinardy, M.P.A. Speaker Nationwide Assembly Marcia D.Williams, E d . D. Speaker- Elect Nationwide Assembly NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS Charles D. Connor President & Chief Executive Officer 130 I Pennsylvania Ave ., NW Suite 800 Washington , DC 20004- 1725 Phone: (202) 785-3355 F

ax : (202) 452-1805 14W all St. Suite 8C New York, NY I0005-21 13 Phone : (2 12) 3 15
-8700 Fax : (212) 608
-3219
www.Lu ngUSA.org May 24, 2012 American Lung Association Supports New Carbon Pollution Standards Statement of Paul G
. Bill ings Vice President, National Policy & Advocacy American Lung Association Good morning , I am Paul Billings, Vice President National Policy & Advocacy for the American Lung Association. The American Lung Association is p leased to support the U.S
. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed s tandard s for carbon poll ution from power plants
. Th is rule is setting the stage for the next generation of America's power plants to be the least toxic and most modern in the world. The American Lun g Association be li eves that power plants should not be allowed to emit unlimited amounts of carbon pollution in to the air. Scientists warn t hat the buildup of carbon pollution wi ll creat e warmer temperatures which will increase the risk of unhealthfu l smog levels
. Any increase in smog means more childhood asthma attacks and complications for tho se with lung di sease. Addressing carbon pollution wi ll help protect pub l ic hea lth
. Higher temperatures can enhance the conditions for ozone formation
. Even with the steps that are in place to reduce ozone , evidence warns that changes in climate are likely to increase the risk of unhealthy ozo ne leve l s in the future in l arge parts of the United States. To protect human h ea lth , the nation needs strong measures to reduce climate change and ozone. The proposed standards for power plants are an important first ste p to address la rge stationary sources contribu tion to cl imate change
. Ozo n e is a hi gh ly react ive gas th at is a form of oxyge n . Commonly known as smog, ozone is a pervas ive ai r pollutant that forms in the atmosphe re when hydro carbon vapors react w ith oxides of nitrog en in t he presence of sunlight and heat
. The American Lun g Associatio n State ofthe Air re port shows that more than 115 million of Americans l ive in a reas where the air is unh ea lthy be ca use of ozone air pollut io n . The report is based on the 75 ppb ozone standard, a standard that t he sc ien ce sh ows is clearly too h igh to protect publi c health. If President Obama and EPA had followed the law and the science , the ozone standard would be mu ch lower- and more protective of more people
. When a perso n inh a les ozone, it reacts chemically with the body's internal tis sues ca using inflammation, like "su nburn ," of the lun g . Ozo ne acts as a powerful respirato ry irritant at the levels found frequently across the nation. Breathing ozone may lead to serious harm to health, including:
• pre mature death ; • shortness of breath and chest pain ; • wheezing and co ughing ;• inflammation of the lining of the lungs; • increased susceptibil ity to respiratory i nfections; • increa s ed risk of as thma attac ks; and • increased need for medical treatment and hospitalization for people with lung diseases, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
. Children who regularly breathe high levels of ozone may face reduced lung function in adulthood. Reduced lung function increases the risk of lung d isease later in life
. Most at risk are : • People with lung di seases such as asthma, chron i c bronchitis and emphysema ; • Children-because their airways are smaller, their respiratory defenses are not fully formed , and their higher breathing rates increase their exposure; • People who work or exercise outdoors ; • Adults 

### 65 years old and older; and • "Responders" -otherwise healthy ind ividuals who experience health effects at lower leve ls of exposure than the average person. In sum , ozone air pollution is a serious health threat that impacts millions of Americans
. We urge EPA to strengthen the carbon pollution proposal in several key ways . To ensure the nex t generation of power plants is the most modern and least toxic, we urge EPA to adopt a tighter than 1000 lb/MwH C02 standard , reflecting achievem e nts of the best performing plants in operation today
. We urge EPA to set a standard for simple cycle turbines. We urge EPA to establish a firm " sunset" date for the alternative compliance mechanism opt i on , ex cluding all plants bu i lt after a specific date
. We urge strong enforcement provisions for those operators failing to meet either compliance option
. We will discuss all these issues in greater detail in our technical comments that the Amer ican lung Association will file next month
. Finally, EPA needs to get to work on establishing a standard for existing sources . Anything less shortchanges our kids and shortchanges our health
. Thank you .

For media requests, please conta c t Mary Havell at mary . havell@ l ung . org or 

### (202) 715-3459 .