April 5, 2012

Local leaders gathered Thursday morning to celebrate the anniversary of Massachusetts vs. EPA, the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set public health standards for carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

Councilwoman Dede Smith joined representatives with Environment Virginia and the Wise Energy for Virginia Coalition for the birthday-party-themed event, which emphasized the importance of cleaning up carbon pollution to protect the health of Virginia’s children.

"We want to give thanks because these are historic standards," said Laura Kate Anderson, of Environment Virginia. "It's a major step forward and it's the first time we've ever taken the step to clean up the biggest sources of carbon pollution in this country."

Charlottesville City Council showed its support for the new carbon pollution standards this week by passing a resolution, introduced by Councilwoman Smith, urging the EPA to fully utilize the Clean Air Act to clean up industrial carbon pollution.

Health experts say carbon pollution can lead to poor air quality and trigger asthma attacks and can permanently damage a child's lungs.