1. United States
2. R.I.
3. Letter

I’m writing as a Rhode Island resident deeply concerned about the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent rollbacks of long-standing clean air and water standards. These protections have existed for decades because they work, they save lives, preserve ecosystems, and safeguard the future we intend to pass down to our children. Weakening them now would be an irreversible mistake. We have already seen, in devastating detail, what happens when pollution goes unchecked. The “dead zone” south of the Mississippi River stands as a cautionary tale: an entire stretch of ocean, lifeless due to chemical runoff and lax regulation. Decades later, it still hasn’t recovered. That reality should stop us in our tracks before we allow further deregulation to spread environmental harm across the country, even here in Rhode Island, where our land and coastline are both delicate and invaluable. I urge you to take immediate action to: 1. Prevent the rollback of EPA standards that protect the quality of our air and water. These are not partisan issues; they are public health priorities. 2. Demand that the agency enforce existing regulations rather than relax them in favor of short-term economic gains that will cost us dearly in health, cleanup, and biodiversity loss. 3. Strengthen and expand our national standards to include more of the chemicals and carcinogens widely recognized as toxic but still under-regulated in the United States. The European Union has set a powerful precedent for protecting both people and planet, one that we should meet or exceed. Rhode Island’s identity is tied to clean coastlines, fresh ocean air, and sustainable industry. We cannot compromise that legacy for the convenience of polluters. The health of our residents, the stability of our ecosystems, and the future of our children depend on strong federal safeguards and real enforcement. Please continue to stand with your constituents in demanding a stronger, not weaker, EPA: one that truly serves the public interest and not the interests of those who profit from environmental neglect. Thank you for your leadership and your continued defense of our state’s most precious resources.