Desvaneciendo Vidas: Un Esquema de la EPA Causaría Que Miles de Personas Fallezcan

Earthjustice criticizes EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler's attempt to dismantle the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) using a flawed cost-benefit analysis. The report claims that MATS saves up to 11,000 lives annually and prevents $90 billion in health-related costs, primarily through the reduction of fine particulate matter (soot). It highlights the influence of coal industry lobbyists, specifically Bob Murray, and provides personal testimonies from residents in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and North Carolina who suffer from health issues linked to power plant emissions.

• The EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) are estimated to save up to 11,000 lives every year.
• EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler proposed a cost-benefit analysis that drastically reduces the estimated health benefits of MATS from approximately $90 billion per year to between $4 million and $6 million by excluding 'co-benefits' such as the reduction of soot (fine particles).
• The 2011 EPA analysis detailed that the $90 billion in health benefits from MATS included the prevention of 11,000 deaths, 4,700 heart attacks, 5,700 hospital and emergency room visits, 130,000 asthma attacks, and over 540,000 lost work days.
• Since its adoption, MATS has reduced mercury emissions from coal plants by 80% and has also reduced emissions of lead, arsenic, and chromium-6.
• The report alleges a conflict of interest involving Andrew Wheeler, noting he was a director at Faeger Baker Daniels, a firm that received $3 million in lobbying fees from Bob Murray (CEO of Murray Energy), who actively sought the removal of MATS.
• The EPA estimated specific annual premature death tolls if MATS were eliminated in certain states: 530 people in Pennsylvania, 35 people in Arizona, and 480 people in North Carolina.

APA

Earthjustice (2019). Desvaneciendo Vidas: Un Esquema de la EPA Causaría Que Miles de Personas Fallezcan. https://earthjustice.org/feature/desvaneciendo-vidas-un-esquema-de-la-epa-causari-que-miles-de-personas-fallezcan

Chicago

Earthjustice. Desvaneciendo Vidas: Un Esquema de la EPA Causaría Que Miles de Personas Fallezcan. 2019. https://earthjustice.org/feature/desvaneciendo-vidas-un-esquema-de-la-epa-causari-que-miles-de-personas-fallezcan.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Desvaneciendo Vidas: Un Esquema de la EPA Causaría Que Miles de Personas Fallezcan |date=21 October 2019 |url=https://earthjustice.org/feature/desvaneciendo-vidas-un-esquema-de-la-epa-causari-que-miles-de-personas-fallezcan |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2019desvaneciendo, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Desvaneciendo Vidas: Un Esquema de la EPA Causaría Que Miles de Personas Fallezcan}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://earthjustice.org/feature/desvaneciendo-vidas-un-esquema-de-la-epa-causari-que-miles-de-personas-fallezcan}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }