Jacqueline Patterson Silver Spring, MD

443-226-3773 jpatters1@yahoo.com My name is Jacqui Patterson. Iwas born and raised here in Chicago, Illinois. I now live in Silver Spring, Maryland. Last year in February, my father began to complain ofa cough, which increased in severity overthe course ofthe year, progressing into him being confined to the home and dependent on an oxygen machine. He was still severely windedjustfrom walkingfrom the living room to the kitchen to get a glass ofwater. My Dad's doctors diagnosed him with pulmonaryfibrosis and stated that itwas likely due to environmental exposure, given that my father never smoked a day in his life. We laid myfatherto rest on September4'h of lastyear. How many more people must we bury before we are granted equal protection underthe law? 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles ofa coal fired power plant. An African American family making $50,000 peryear is more likely to live near atoxicfacilitythan aWhite American family making $15,000 peryear. We see the results ofthis in the rates of respiratory illnesses in African Americans. Even though we have lower rates of smoking, African Americans are more likely to die of lung disease. A recent study found that, in the Bronx, an African American child is 5times more likelyto die ofasthma than a White American child. Nationwide, African American children are twice as likely to die ofasthma and 3times more likelyto be admitted to the hospital for an asthma attack. From what I understand, carbon pollution doesn't directly cause these heath conditions, but rather it creates what some scientists call "domes"that trap, concentrate, and intensifythe myriad ofother toxins we breathe every day, some of us more than others. With the mercury, arsenic, lead, dioxins and other pollutants that come from power plants in communities nationwide, these "domes" are effectively creating lethal gas chambers for communities. At the same time, we understand that carbon dioxide is the #1 driver ofclimate change and these power plants arethe leading emitters ofcarbon dioxide. Again, climate change affects us all, but its effects are felt hardest by communities and people who are politically, economically, physically, and socially vulnerable. When I did hurricane relief after Katrina and Rita, the throngs offolks who walked through the doors of the disaster recovery center every day were largelyAfrican American. Ialso met scores of people with hearing impairmentswhere my pathetic one year of sign language was theirsaving grace...but mypresence and meager skills were pure happenstance, so what would have happened if I hadn't been there? I met people with HIV and AIDS who went weeks without access totheir life-preserving antiretroviral drugs. Overall, I met hundreds of people who had to start their entire lives overwith barelytwo pennies to rub togetherto do so. And scientists say that Katrina was onlythe tip ofthe iceberg! Regarding other effects ofclimate change, growing up here on the Southside ofChicago, I lived in a communitythat would have been labeled a "food desert", like so many communities of color. This means that we have more immediate access to a Dorito or a Funion than a leafy vegetable ora strawberry. We already see howthis plays outfor communities who are disproportionately suffering from heightened rates ofobesity, as well hunger, and all ofthe health conditionsthat result from poor diet, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. Access to affordable, nutritiousfoods will only lessen as climate change impacts agricultural yields, here and abroad. Last yearwe saw farmers in Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, and beyond lose crops both to flood and drought. Again, scientists say we've onlyjust begun to see these impacts. Finally, I've visited with coastal communities from Florida to Louisiana, to Alaska, some ofwhom are already experiencing coastal erosion and several ofwhom are facing displacement in the next 20 years, due to sea level rise caused by climate change. The cost of inaction on carbon pollution is the health, livelihood, culture, economic, and social wellbeing ofcommunities nationwide and worldwide withvulnerable communities being hitfirst and worst. We need strong carbon pollution standards to ensurethan any newly proposed plant has controls in place that**protec~c** the wellbeing of us all. We must also make sure that our next step is also regulate carbon dioxide from hundreds ofexisting plants that are now pollutingthousands ofcommunities. The history ofdecades of pollution from those plants is one ofthe leading reasons that we are now on the brink of catastroohic climate change. We mustget this situation under control for all ofour sakes. Thank you.