While the Victorian Government takes its time releasing a Clean Air Strategy for Victoria, residents in Latrobe Valley are choking on air pollution.
Residents in Latrobe Valley are already exposed to toxic air pollution from coal fired power stations and the Australian Paper mill. Every autumn the Latrobe Valley is blanketed for days and weeks of additional toxic smoke from logging coupe burns, fuel reduction burns, and private burn-offs.
The EPA’s response? Tell people to reduce physical activity and ask private landowners to check the weather before burning off.
This is unacceptable. No one’s health should be put at risk from preventable pollution.
Air pollution causes a range of health impacts including asthma, heart attack and stroke.
Add your name to call on the EPA to crack down on pollution and we’ll hand deliver your signatures to Dr. Andrea Hinwood, Chief Environmental Scientist of the EPA, when we meet with her in the next few weeks.
Call on the EPA to:
- regulate logging coupe burns as industrial pollution;
- develop a hazard reduction plan with the government, and impacted communities to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution without having to restrict their activities;
- ensure that air pollution is thoroughly monitored and mapped to mitigate people’s exposure to air pollution as much as possible, and work closely with the health department to ensure residents are properly informed about the health risks;
- control all air pollution sources in the Latrobe Valley including requiring pollution controls on all power stations.