Don’t Let the EPA Endanger Our Health

In a move as reckless as it is shortsighted, the Environmental Protection Agency is attempting to roll back one of the most important public health protections in existence: the 2009 Endangerment Finding. This landmark determination—based on careful study and decades of scientific evidence—recognizes that greenhouse gas emissions pose a serious danger to human health. Reversing it would not only be a betrayal of science but would cause a direct and major escalation of the climate-driven health impacts that are already harming our community.

The Endangerment Finding has served as the legal foundation for federal efforts to reduce climate pollution from vehicles, power plants, and other industrial sources. Without it, the EPA would lose its authority to regulate carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act, leaving our communities even more vulnerable to the heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and air pollution that are already making people sick and costing lives.

Here in Washington state, we are already experiencing the consequences of climate change. A 2020 Washington State Department of Health (DOH) report found that climate change is “amplifying existing health disparities” and increasing the risk of heat-related illness, respiratory disease, and vector-borne illnesses. In a single week during the 2021 “heat dome” event, Washington state saw more than 100 excess deaths due to extreme heat. Events like these are no longer outliers —they’re harbingers of what’s to come if we fail to act swiftly. Between 2009 and 2020, the number of “smoke days” in Washington more than quadrupled. According to the University of Washington, exposure to wildfire smoke is now the primary driver of air pollution in our state, especially during the summer months. In 2020 alone, particulate matter from smoke caused an estimated 92 deaths in King County and over 400 statewide. Children, older adults, and people with underlying health conditions are especially at risk.

Climate change also increases the spread of diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease, which are appearing in parts of Washington where they were previously rare or nonexistent. And the mental health toll—from climate anxiety to the trauma of displacement due to wildfires or floods—remains vastly under-addressed. A full discussion of the health impacts of climate change in Washington can be found in Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility’s 2022 report on Climate & Health.

Congress has an opportunity to act right now. A resolution—H. Res. 568 in the House, sponsored by Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA), and S. Res. 318 in the Senate, sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA)—affirm that climate change is a threat to public health and call on the Department of Health and Human Services to lead efforts to protect communities from its worst impacts.

WPSR, where we serve as Executive Director and board President, has urged our state’s congressional delegation to co-sponsor these resolutions. Now they need to hear from the people they represent. We urge all Washingtonians to speak out. 

The EPA is accepting public comments on its proposal to reverse the Endangerment Finding. Washingtonians concerned about the dire ramifications of reversing the Endangerment Finding can express their opposition by writing to EPA-MobileSource-Hearings@epa.gov. If we stay silent, we risk losing one of the most important tools that protects public health and addresses the worsening climate crisis. 

Max Savishinsky, EdD, MAIS, MPA
Executive Director

Ken Lans, MD, MBA
President