United for Healthy Air

United for Healthy Air event in Washington D.C.

Subject: Press Release - Local Representative Lobbies for Clean Air

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 28, 2013

Contact: Katharina Hathaway, khathaway4@yahoo.com, 512-680-9880

Local Physician Visits Washington as Clean Air Ambassador, Calls on Congress to Act

[Austin, TX] -- Local physician, Katharina Hathaway, joined a national delegation in Washington, D.C. this week calling on Congress to enact clean air policy to protect our community from soot, carbon and coal ash pollution. Dubbed “50 States United for Healthy Air,” over 100 Clean Air Ambassadors” from all 50 states representing American Nurses Association, Earthjustice, Hip Hop Caucus, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Council of Churches, National Latino Coalition on Climate Change, and Physicians for Social Responsibility, emphasized their concerns about the health implications of pollution, especially in urban settings in meetings with their elected officials, the EPA and the White House.

To find out more about Katharina’s time in DC, visit: http://earthjustice.org/50states/2013/katharina-hathaway

“I grew up in Bakersfield, California.  A city which has, according to the American Lung Association, once again topped the list of cities with the worst air quality.  It is situated at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is surrounded on three sides by beautiful mountains.  Most day, however, the mountains are obscured by the white or brown haze. As a physician, I have cared for patients with asthma and other lung disease whose symptoms are worsened by poor air quality,” said Katharina Hathaway.

Ambassadors like Katharina Hathaway, delivered a powerful message to their legislators and the Obama administration that lives depend on strong protections against air pollution. Ambassadors contributed personal stories illustrating the direct impact air pollution has on the health of Americans young and old, with thousands dying each year.

In meetings with Lloyd Doggett and Joaquin Castro, Katharina Hathaway called for:

• help for communities that are struggling with the negative environmental and health impacts of climate change, including finalization of Clean Air Act standards that reduce carbon pollution from new coal-fired power plants and actions to reduce pollution from existing plants;
• more frequent review of National Ambient Air Quality Standards that reduce smog and soot (the most widespread deadly pollutant);
• lowering of the ozone pollution limits;
• the swift implementation of the Cleaner Gasoline and Tailpipe Standards that would prevent up to 2,400 premature deaths and 22,000 asthma attacks each year;
• and the federal regulation of coal ash to prevent cancer-causing toxins such as arsenic and mercury from seeping into air and water.

This is the second time ambassadors from all 50 states traveled to Washington to discuss air pollution, and its delegation is distinct in that it is made up of teachers, parents, health professionals and other advocates who have been personally impacted by air pollution.

#####