FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12/13/24
MEDIA CONTACT:
Edder Díaz Martínez, Communications Manager, GreenLatinos, edderdiazmartinez@greenlatinos.org
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed updated standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from gas-fired power plants for the first time since 2006. NOx pollutants, including nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), are primarily produced during combustion processes such as burning fossil fuels in power plants, industrial facilities, and vehicles. These pollutants are major contributors to smog and soot, which pose serious health and environmental risks.
Communities living near power plants—disproportionately communities of color and low-income populations—bear the brunt of this pollution. Exposure to NOx pollution increases the risk of asthma, heart disease, stroke, and premature death. It also exacerbates environmental issues like acid rain, harming ecosystems. Latino communities, already overburdened with environmental injustices, are among those most impacted by NOx pollution, with children and workers facing heightened health risks.
The EPA’s proposed standards are designed to reduce dangerous NOx emissions, improve air quality, and protect public health. However, while this is a significant step forward, it is only the beginning of a broader effort needed to clean up pollution and address historical inequities in environmental health.
Statement from Irene Burga, Climate Justice and Clean Air Program Director, GreenLatinos
“The EPA’s proposal to update NOx pollution standards for gas-fired power plants is a critical step toward protecting public health and addressing environmental injustices. For far too long, Latino communities have disproportionately suffered the consequences of power plant pollution, including higher rates of asthma, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses.
Living near these facilities has placed Latino families at greater risk, compounded by systemic inequities that limit access to clean air and quality healthcare. This proposed standard offers a path toward reducing harmful emissions, but it must be finalized and implemented with urgency to deliver meaningful protections.
GreenLatinos calls on the EPA to finalize the strongest possible NOx standard and ensure rigorous enforcement to protect our health and future. This is just the beginning—our communities deserve clean air and justice after decades of being left to bear the burden of pollution.”
###
About GreenLatinos
GreenLatinos (NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD) is an active comunidad of Latino/a/e leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.