According to the American Lung Association, asthma afflicts more than 400,000 Minnesotans, including nearly 120,000 children. The chronic illness causes nearly 10,000 hospital visits and an additional 2,000 extended hospital stays each year in Minnesota. In addition to the human impact, the financial cost to the state totals roughly $860 million a year.
This is just one public-health issue confronting our state. A 2010 study found that 10 percent of northern Minnesota newborns have an unsafe concentration of mercury in their blood. Mercury can damage the brain and nervous system in fetuses and babies — it can negatively impact memory, attention, and language skill development.
In the Minnesota House of Representatives, we have worked to be careful stewards of Minnesota’s air, land, and water because we know it’s not just good for the environment, but also good for people. As chair of the House Energy Policy Committee, I have worked to promote clean energy sources such as solar and wind because their increased usage will help improve air quality and help create good jobs for Minnesotans. In recent years, we also have undertaken efforts to reduce the emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants into our air and water.
What we can to do make Minnesota a better, healthier place to live also is hugely impacted by what happens in other states and around the world. The interconnected nature of environmental and public-health policy across state and national boundaries means Minnesota needs a strong partner in Washington, D.C.
President Barack Obama’s recent nominee to run the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy, is exactly the kind of strong leader the EPA needs as we work to improve public health and build our portfolio of clean energy technologies.
McCarthy is a pragmatic and dedicated professional. During her 25 years of public service, McCarthy served as an environmental advisor to five Massachusetts governors — including Mitt Romney. She later ran the Connecticut Environmental Protection Department and has spent the past four years at the EPA. Throughout this time, she has been set on protecting our children and families from the dangers of soot, smog, mercury and carbon pollution. Future efforts to improve public health will save lives, prevent illness, and drive innovation in new clean energy technology.
Considering the EPA’s past success in improving public-health outcomes, it makes sense to have a seasoned professional like McCarthy there to keep the agency focused. The EPA’s most recent analysis shows the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 have dramatically improved the health of 1.7 million Americans who have asthma. Legislation like this not only protects public health — it protects our pocketbooks, too. The same analysis found the Clear Air Act amendments will save Americans more than $200 million in health-care costs.
Minnesota will continue to face environmental and public-health challenges in the future. As we work to address these issues to improve the quality of life for all Minnesotans, it is critical we have a strong federal partner. Gina McCarthy is an excellent choice to lead the EPA and, if confirmed, she will make a great partner for Minnesota.
Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, represents District 36B and chairs the Energy Policy Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
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