US EPA Carbon Pollution Standard Public Hearing 

May 24, 2012 

Jessica Christy 

Thank you for allowing me to speak on carbon emission limits. I appreciate your time. 

There is a certain saying in my house that if you get the cadence and the rhythm just right, will 

elicit a smile from my husband, my oldest son, and me. It goes like this: "no momma, no 

momma, no momma, no!" You can even do a little dance. 

I'm sure you're wondering what that has to do with setting limits on carbon emissions. Let me 

tell you. My name is Jessica Christy and I live in Washington, DC with my husband and three 

children, ages 3, 18 months, and ten. My oldest son has struggled with asthma for approximately 

the past seven years and that is really the reason I am here to testify on behalf of limiting carbon 

emlSSlOnS. 

Currently, my son's asthma is well controlled; we visit the doctor every three months like 

clockwork in order to ensure his asthma maintenance medication is working like it should, we 

get refills for his emergency medications, and discuss ways to minimize his triggers. However, 

there was a time when his asthma was not so well controlled and we have been in the hospital 

overnight on more than one occasion. One of those times. his worst asthma attack is an 

especially vivid memory for me. My second child, James Francis was just two weeks old at the 

time and Zachary began having some trouble breathing ... he had a dry, unproductive cough and I 

could see his skin sink down in between his ribs with each breath, retractions is what I later 

learned that is called. His doctor's oftice sent him to the emergency room after several nebulizer 

treatments failed to raise his oxygen levels. The ER admitted him to the hospital overnight when 

several more treatments failed to raise his oxygen levels to normaL My husband stayed 

overnight with our son. The next afternoon, I brought our two-week-old, who was nursing, to 

the hospital so that my husband could go home and shower and brush his teeth. By the time my 

husband returned to the hospital, the decision was made that Zachary needed to stay another 

night and he had also gotten a roommate, another boy around 5 years old. Around I 0 that 

evening, the other boy's mother showed up at the room. inciting a round of demands on the part 

of the boy, her meeting those demands with soothing words. and him finally shouting out, "No 

momma, no momma, no momma, no!" for the next ten minutes until the nurse finally entered the 

room and suggested turning off the lights. 

I'm able to smile thinking about it now, but in the moment, I was terrified. After watching my 

son sleeping after he had been on albuterol treatments for several hours, it became clear just how 

much of a struggle it was for him to take just a small breath in and out. I have the peak flow 

meter from that hospital visit, and I have no problem getting the ball into the green zone every 

time. When my son was at his worst, he was barely able to make it out of the red zone. 

You can clearly see how deeply Zachary's asthma has affected me, and it is a constant part of 

our lives. 
But let me tell you about another vivid memory of mine. During Thanksgiving of2007, before 

this trip to the hospital, Zachary, my husband, and l took a three-day trip to the Florida Keys. It 

was an amazing trip. We drove the Overseas Highway from Miami down to mile marker 0. The 

next day, we took a boat trip to a small chain of islands 70 miles west of Key West called Dry 

Tortugas. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn about and appreciate both Civil War era history 

as well as the fascinating ecosystem that is a corral reef. We toured the fort and snorkel in the 

surrounding corral reefs. Other visitors got a permit and were able to camp on the beach. Now 

the trip wasn't all good. I didn't appreciate the roosters who started crowing at 3am after the 

bars closed and, if l had the choice, I would have passed on watching several people on the boat 

get seasick due to rough waters, but I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. And it's 

memories like our trip to Dry Tortugas that I'd like to continue to make with my family. 

And that is why I am asking you to limit carbon emissions, so I don't have to start panicking as 

soon as I hear that dry, unproductive cough. Please help me protect my children's growing 

lungs, James Francis and Mary Barrett have never experienced the difficulty breathing that 

comes from an asthma attack and I'd like to try and keep it that way. I know I cannot protect my 

children from all harm, but I am depending on the EPA to help me protect my children's lungs 

from harmful carbon emissions. Please put the health of my children and children across the US 

first when setting limits on carbon emissions. 

Thank you, 

Jessica Christy 

Washington, DC 

jessicamaechristy@gmail.com 

303-618-5478