March 13, 2025
OEC Action Fund Denounces the U.S. EPA’s Plan to Gut Public Health Protections for Ohioans
For Immediate Release:
March 13, 2025
Contact:
Karlena Wallace, Communications Director
OEC Action Fund Denounces the U.S. EPA’s Plan to Gut Public Health Protections for Ohioans
Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the rollback of 31 bedrock EPA rules that protect our environment, ensure access to clean air and water, and protect the health and safety of communities across Ohio and the country. These rollbacks include the mercury and air toxics standards, the good neighbor plan, the car greenhouse gas rule, the greenhouse gas reporting program, and more. Administrator Zeldin also proposed changing the composition of the agency’s critical Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, with likely intent to fill it with members beholden to the industries that the agency regulates.
The rollback of these critical health and safety protections will affect all Ohioans, but it will disproportionately impact our most vulnerable community members, including children, senior citizens, and people with medical conditions. The Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund denounces the U.S. EPA’s plan to gut public health protections which will lead to disastrous effects across the nation.
The following quote can be attributed, in whole or in part, to Pete Bucher, Executive Director for the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund:
“The EPA’s intent to dismantle core protections for water and air quality will hurt Ohio’s families—including more kids who will suffer from asthma attacks, elderly residents whose lives will be cut short due to cardiovascular disease, and families who will be at risk of drinking unsafe water. These rollbacks to fundamental public health protections for Ohioans are nothing more than corporate giveaways at the expense of Ohioans’ health and pocketbooks.
“EPA Administrator Zeldin’s actions threaten to take us back to when fire engulfed the Cuyahoga River and acid rain from air pollution poured down on our communities. This announcement comes at a time when Ohio is experiencing more extreme weather events and poor air quality during the summer months. Ohio’s parents should not have to worry about whether their children will be safe playing outside or whether their tap water is safe to drink, but Administrator Zeldin is creating that reality.
“These critical rollbacks will raise costs for communities across Ohio who bear the brunt of the impacts of extreme weather, including flooding and heat waves. A recent report in Ohio showed that local governments across Ohio will need to increase municipal spending by as much as $5.9 billion annually by midcentury to adapt to the challenges of a worsening climate crisis. The EPA’s deregulation will take us in the wrong direction, forcing these costs to skyrocket further.
“The OEC Action will work alongside our partners and communities to fight back against the Trump Administration’s attempts to end protections that keep toxic chemicals like mercury and soot out of the air we breathe and the water we drink.”
###
The Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund protects the environment and health of all Ohio communities by electing climate champions, holding public officials accountable, and advancing environmental justice policies.
