Experts issue warning that proposed policy changes could cost countless Americans their lives: 'More people will die'

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will undertake the "biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history." 

It says the move will eliminate trillions of "hidden" taxes and create jobs — initiatives that Americans from across the political spectrum widely support, though they may have policy and procedural disagreements about how to best achieve those goals.

However, bipartisan experts say a deregulation blitz would lead to significant financial losses and that more Americans would die from exposure to hazardous pollution. 

What's happening?

On March 12, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin revealed the agency's plans to reexamine and potentially roll back a slew of regulations limiting industrial and manufacturing pollution and other hazardous emissions.

Associated Press analysis of the EPA's prior assessments and other research suggests that maintaining the rules could save the United States around $275 billion each year and prevent 30,000 deaths as higher levels of toxic pollutants such as mercury and lead enter the air. Rolling back the regulations could lead to dire consequences.

"More people will die," said Brown University professor Cory Zigler, a biostatistics expert who has studied air pollution deaths linked to coal-fired power plants. "More of this type of pollution that we know kills people will be in the air."

Christine Todd Whitman, who headed the EPA under President George W. Bush, added, "This administration is endangering all of our lives — ours, our children, our grandchildren." 

Beyond the health risks, emissions from dirty fuels trap heat in the atmosphere. Several experts who reviewed the AP's work suggested the human and economic toll could be much greater than projected if the EPA walks back its regulations, since the available EPA data didn't account for estimated deaths from several factors linked to the warming climate, like flooding and disease spread. 

Why is this analysis important?

Tighter emissions regulations can encourage companies to transition to cleaner solutions. 

"The Clean Air Act, the EPA's founding legislation, has been a powerful engine for improving public health as our air has grown visibly clearer and cleaner," Gina McCarthy, who led the EPA under President Barack Obama, told the AP. "Millions of Americans have avoided illnesses, hospital visits, and premature deaths thanks to EPA's cleaner car and truck standards in concert with rules that limit industrial pollution."

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Over the past 10 years, smog pollution has dropped 10%, while sulfur dioxide has declined by 80% compared to 2000-09, according to EPA statistics analyzed by the AP, which delved into how EPA regulations made a positive difference in the lives of Southwest Indiana residents.

First, moving away from coal — the deadliest fuel — led to a drastic decline in air pollution-linked deaths. Duke Energy also installed scrubbers to filter chemicals from the smokestacks at its biggest power plant near Evansville. 

Duke Energy spokeswoman Angeline Protegere said that EPA regulations were a key consideration in this decision, with market factors also playing a role. Now, community members are expressing concerns about the proposed deregulation.

"I don't want to raise my kids in a bowl of pollution," said Kirt Ethridge, whose daughter Eliza uses a children's nebulizer to manage respiratory illnesses.

Jessica Blazier, whose son Julian has health conditions that make him sensitive to poor air quality, added that the proposal was "almost adding insult to injury in our particular circumstance."

What can be done about this?

As the AP noted, the federal rulemaking process can be lengthy, requiring scientific jurisdiction and a window for public comment, so it remains to be seen how wide-ranging the EPA rollback might be.

You can make your voice heard on policy matters by contacting your representatives and getting involved with EPA regulatory processes by participating during the public comment window.

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