The Hill News

Californians, like all Americans, love breathing clean, healthy air. We relish that picture perfect moment: a clear view of the mountains or ocean, kids playing soccer or baseball, enjoying a picnic in the park on a warm day, or just a brisk walk with the dog.

These are also the moments we'd like to forget -- missed school or missed work due to bad air days, asthma and bronchial attacks and the associated costs to families, business, and the economy. 

The EPA and Clean Air Act have delivered much good for us over the past 40 years - everything from reducing lead levels in the air by 92 percent to preventing hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, millions of asthma attacks and more. A recent EPA report revealed that in 2010 alone, the Clean Air Act reductions in fine particle and ozone pollution have prevented more than 160,000 cases of premature mortality, 130,000 heart attacks, 1.7 million asthma attacks and 13 million lost work days.

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