Dear Editor:

With the American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report out this week, we can breathe a small sigh of relief. The report findings tell us that ozone pollution levels have dropped slightly in our community. This is good news for the 900,000 adults and 369,000 children with asthma in North Carolina.

However, while we may have seen progress in the Triangle, there is still work to do to reduce air pollution that causes premature death, asthma attacks and lung cancer. And as the report confirms, our changing climate will make it harder to protect human health, which means we need to act now. The good news is that taking steps to reduce carbon pollution that contributes to climate change also reduces emissions that lead to harmful ozone and particulate matter.

The implementation of the Clean Power Plan is crucial in cleaning up the air we breathe. We urge Gov. Pat McCrory to take steps now to address carbon pollution from power plants in North Carolina as outlined in the Clean Power Plan, a major contributor to ozone pollution. 

By cutting carbon pollution, power plants located here in North Carolina and our neighboring states will not only help address pollution that is driving climate change, but also reduce other toxic pollutants that are harming our communities. North Carolina’s children deserve nothing less. 

Alison Lawrence Jones

North Carolina Project Manager

Mothers & Others for Clean Air: American Lung Association of the Southeast

C: 910-922-0295