CHEST Advocates for Reducing Harmful Emissions and Protecting Vulnerable Populations

September 30, 2025

CHEST remains firmly committed to advancing science-driven policy and environmental stewardship. Recognizing the profound impact of climate change and air pollution on respiratory health, CHEST advocates for strong, evidence-based regulations that reduce harmful emissions and protect vulnerable populations.

Recently, CHEST joined comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in opposition to the proposed rollback of the 2009 Endangerment Finding—a foundational scientific determination that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. Weakening or reversing this finding would undermine decades of progress in air quality protections and significantly jeopardize the respiratory health of millions of Americans, particularly children, older individuals, and those with chronic lung disease.

Comments calling for protection of the Endangerment Finding include:

• Comment letter led by the American Lung Association (ALA)
  
• Comment letter led by the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, American Thoracic Society, and the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments

CHEST also recently advocated for additional environmental safeguard policies by joining letters led by ALA, including:

• Opposing the EPA’s proposed repeal of 2024 carbon pollution standards for power plants
• Opposing the EPA’s proposed repeal of national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for coal- and oil-fired power plants
• Urging the EPA to explore ways to ensure more manufacturing facilities switch to clean heat technology

These are just recent actions on which CHEST has spoken out. For more information on past CHEST advocacy actions related to environmental stewardship, visit our On the Record webpage and open the Public Health section.