Carper, Climate Advocates, and Education Leaders Call on EPA to Protect Delawareans from Cross-State Pollution

WILMINGTON, Del. — U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today joined University of Delaware professor, Dwight Higgin, Kuumba Academy Charter School teacher, Raequan Jones, and the Climate Action Campaign, in calling on President Biden and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enact the strongest possible Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) to reduce pollution from dirty power plants near Delaware and around the nation.

Over 90% of Delaware’s ozone pollution originates from other states, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment Control, creating smog and preventing Delaware from meeting federal air quality standards. The American Lung Association gave New Castle County an “F” for ozone pollution in its annual State of the Air report. At present, more than 8,800 children and 48,000 adults in the county are asthmatic and particularly susceptible to ozone pollution.

“Delaware is at the end of America’s tailpipe — air pollution from our neighbors makes its way into the First State, harming the health and well-being of our citizens,” said Senator Carper. “All too often, it’s our most vulnerable and underserved communities that suffer the worst consequences of this pollution. That’s why it’s so important for us to strengthen the safeguards that protect Delaware families from cross-state air pollution and allow all of us to breathe easier. Doing so is one of my top priorities in the United States Senate and I am proud to have leadership in the White House and at EPA who are working to strengthen our clean air protections.”

“Communities of color and vulnerable communities are hit first and worst by pollution, and that poses a major threat to the health of the children in my community,” said Raequan Jones. “There are so many people in Delaware working hard to improve the lives of children in our communities, but it is just as important for us to look out for the immediate and long term impacts of major health risks like pollution from dirty power plants in states west of us. We need President Biden and the EPA to adopt the strongest possible CSAPR standards to protect our people and reduce the pollution from these power plants as we make a full transition to clean energy.”