Chicago now the largest city with Clean Air Resolution

(May 11, 2012)—

On May 9, prior to City Council, Alderman Joe Moreno held a press conference with the American Lung Association in Greater Chicago urging President Obama and the EPA to fully employ and enforce the Clean Air Act in Chicago and across the nation. Meghan Miller, Executive Director of the American Lung Association in Greater Chicago and Dr. Christopher Codispoti, Allergist from Rush University Medical Center joined the Alderman and spoke about the importance of clean air in Chicago.

We’re happy to announce the resolution passed City Council, which now makes Chicago the largest city with a Clean Air Resolution.

The resolution comes on the heels of news that Chicago's heavy-polluting Fisk and Crawford power plants will shut down earlier than scheduled as a result of community pressure, and the release of the American Lung Association's State of the Air report, which gave Cook County an F grade, proving that Chicagoans continue to breathe some of the dirtiest air in the country.

Yet, the Clean Air Act faces stiff opposition from some in Congress, threatening the progress the U.S. has made in making our air safe to breathe. Recent attempts to update and improve the Clean Air Act have been met with strong resistance by some members of Congress and the polluters who support them. Most recently, modest improvements to mercury and air toxic pollution standards were thwarted by the U.S. Senate.

In 2010, the Clean Air Act prevented 160,000 premature deaths; 1.7 million instances of asthma exacerbation; 41,000 respiratory hospital admissions; and 45,000 cardiovascular hospital admissions. New and improved regulations are expected to save even more.

For more information on the fight for clean air in Illinois, please visit FightingForAir.org or join the conversation at Facebook.com/HealthyAirIL.