Blog #9 Defunding EPA

Angela Ferr

03.24.11

1:00pm

With Japan going through all the problems with the nuclear power plant, the United States is being faced with its own problems as well. Just recently, some of our elected representatives have put in the urge to defund the Environmental Protection Agency. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, is an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment. Most Americans are not for this defunding, but it is up to us to stop it and show the need for not less, but more funding to keep the air and waters safe.

One of the big problems in the United States, as well as ALL around the world is the pollution of mercury, arsenic and other toxic wastes polluting the air. These come from power plants, which is a huge problem in Japan right now and can become a problem here in the United States if a natural disaster or something were to break the power plant and help spill the toxic waste into our atmosphere. Mercury can be an extremely harmful toxin to children. It is a neurotoxin that impacts the developmental ability to talk, walk, and learn. If we do not have some way of keeping the children around the world safe from Mercury, we can have a huge problem in the future. This is why it is important that they do not defund the Environmental Protection Agency.

The final decision on whether or not they will defund the EPA will be made November of this year. The only thing we can do is make our voices heard and fight for what we think is right. I believe that it is hard to move a whole country into doing the right thing. It take a HUGE problem or disaster before we all get together and agree that there is a big problem that needs to be fixed. I hope that seeing the troubles that Japan and neighboring countries are going through right now with the nuclear power plant will open the eyes of some Americans to fight for our healthy air. As much as it is not an issue at this exact moment for us, it can become a terrible disaster in 2 seconds if something were to go wrong with the nuclear power plants.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-g-yerman/moms-clean-air-force-figh_b_838763.html