This is an open letter to Gov. Mike Easley from the Canary Coalition. It will be distributed to press and media outlets throughout North Carolina. It will also be sent to the hundreds of community groups, public officials, doctors, churches, businesses and individuals who comprise the Canary Coalition.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to announce proposed changes to its interpretation of the New Source Review (NSR) provisions of the Clean Air Act. If implemented, these changes would have a devastating impact on the health of North Carolinians and other Americans.

The NSR program is designed to provide protection of the public health and the environment. When the Clean Air Act became law more than 25 years ago, existing power plants and factories were exempted or “grandfathered-in” from strict emission control requirements. The NSR stipulated that should these older plants be upgraded in size and capacity or modernized in the course of time, the owners would be required to bring emission controls up to standard. Today, many of these power plants and factories are still operating under exemptions and are polluting the air we breathe every day. Many are in need of major overhauls and the owners would like to expand their size and capacity. The EPA’s new proposal for NSR would allow these changes to occur without meeting Clean Air Act standards. This would be a sad betrayal of the public trust.

The attorneys general of New York, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont have united in strong opposition to the changes in the NSR program being proposed by the Bush Administration’s EPA, citing the devastating impact on the health of their citizens. While many of these states already have better air quality than parts of North Carolina, they still recognize the risks these proposed changes to the Clean Air Act pose to their citizens.

The Canary Coalition urges you to direct the North Carolina Attorney General to join forces with these other states immediately. We implore you to come out publicly and strongly in opposition to the proposed changes in NSR. The evidence is abundant and clear that emissions from coal-burning power plants in North Carolina and in surrounding states are causing severe respiratory illness for thousands of our citizens each year. This is no time to move backwards in the process of cleaning up the smokestacks.

The Canary Coalition also urges all who read this letter to take action now to prevent this travesty from occurring. Let your elected representatives (1.888.552.9406, White House comment line) and the EPA (Atlanta office 404.562.9900) know that you do not want the proposed changes to the NSR provisions of the Clean Air Act. It’s time to put our priorities in order. The health of our citizens must come first.

Avram Friedman,

Executive Director,

Canary Coalition