Comment submitted by Jean Naples

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin,I am writing as a physician, public health/environmental protection and endangered species protection advocate that strongly supports full protection for climate and environment protection in our country and around the world.As an environmental protection and public health advocate, I strongly urge the Environmental Protection Agency to please maintain and enforce existing strong protections for coal ash and to not eliminate existing protections. Please ensure that all coal ash dumps are properly monitored, closed, and remediated.Please understand that I am strongly opposed to any industrial production of coal by mining because these actions result in the creation of coal ash. It is crucial to remember that any exposure to coal ash, which is a toxic mixture of hazardous pollutants including mercury, arsenic, uranium, radium, and nitric oxides, metals including lead, chromium, nickel, and cadmium which are all carcinogens and neurotoxins is a public health and environmental disaster.As a public health protection advocate, I am very concerned because any exposure to these hazardous coal ash pollutants are all associated with the development of cancer, neurological damage, and other serious life-threatening diseases which can result in death. It is crucial for the EPA to know that these are the carcinogenic chemicals that are eleased into the air with the creation of industrial coal ash from coal mining.At this time, I am very disappointed to learn that the Environmental Protection Agency’s new policy will allow companies to request a Presidential Exemption to bypass clean air rules.Please remember that this federal law states that the president can only issue these kinds of exemptions in very limited cases of a domestic national emergency. It is obviously very clear that our country is not being threatened with a national emergency. There was no real federal analysis, and no real justification, but only a blanket exemption for polluters who asked via email to be allowed to emit more mercury and arsenic from coal production.Because many coal power plants already meet the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, there is clearly no national security problem. These coal plants have fully adopted the use of technology that reduces emission of toxic and carcinogenic pollutants from coal production. This technology is effective, public health and environmentally protective and it is affordable.As a public health protection advocate, I strongly oppose allowing any federal exemptions that will allow production and release these toxic carcinogenic pollutants from industrial production of coal. This action only rewards the corporations that chose not to act.I am aware that according to your own agency, the 2024 MATS rule delivers $33 million in annual public health health protection benefits and $14 million in environmental climate protection benefits. It has minimal impact on the power grid, with no expected retirements of coal-fired capacity.The real emergency is the real danger that this unlawful policy will create on public health protection with increased non-fatal heart attacks, higher cancer risks, more hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and premature deaths. Why is the EPA giving companies the option to choose not to implement these life-saving public health and environmental protective measures?At this time, I thank you for your consideration of my letter and my recommendations. I strongly support the fact that all communities who are exposed to cancer-causing pollution from coal production deserve health and environmental protections.I am strongly urging the EPA to please prioritize public health and environmental protection for people and never authorize an increase in coal production polluter profits.Sincerely,Jean Marie Naples, MD-Ph.D.Jean Naplesjeannaples7@gmail.com26 Montebello Commons DriveSuffern. Rockland County, New York 10901