An excellent post by my colleague Matt Howes:
Even as environmental safeguards come under attack like never before, a recent EPA study shows that the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments brings $26 of benefits for every $ 1 in costs. That's more than $2 trillion in direct benefits by 2020.
For example, in 2010 alone the reductions in fine particle and ozone pollution from the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments prevented more than:
• 160,000 cases of premature death
• 130,000 heart attacks
• 13 million lost work days
• 1.7 million asthma attacks1
In 2020, if the proposed rollbacks can be averted , the annual benefits will be even greater, preventing more than:
• 230,000 cases of premature death
• 200,000 heart attacks
• 17 million lost work days
• 2.4 million asthma attacks 1
NRDC economist Laurie Johnson gives a more detailed breakdown and shows that by 2020 the value of the law will be worth more than 14% of today's GDP, for an expenditure of only .46% (ratio of benefits to cost is more than 30 to 1). That's a great return on investment that we can't afford to lose.
If Congress rolls back this great legislation, we'll suffer the consequences for years in the future. It'll mean more coughing children and more people staying home from illness instead of going to work to support their families. It'll mean dirty air over our cities and unnecessary deaths in our communities.
You can help protect public health from these attacks in Congress today. Please call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, ask for your Members of Congress, and urge them to defend the Clean Air Act.