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As a ObGyn physician who has
practiced for 36 yrs in SF and a Clinical Professor of ObGyn at
UCSF, I am here to ask CARB to protect my patients: pregnant
mothers and their unborn babies. As a mother and grandmother, I ask
CARB to act boldly and urgently to protect my family and loved
ones.  Studies have
shown proximity to oil and gas operations and exposure to air
pollution increases the odds of preterm labor and birth and small
for dates babies. 
The most vulnerable are the communities that live closest to
the oil and gas operations, particularly the Black, LatinX, Asian,
Indigenous and low income communities. These communities suffer the
most, with higher rates of illness and lower life expectancies. The
IPCC has declared that climate change is causing a “Code
Red” for humanity. We cannot delay!! And there are things
that can be done now 
 
- We need to stop drilling and
developing new wells immediately, phase out existing oil and gas
activities by 2035 and properly plug legacy wells.
 

We need to impose the 3200 ft
setbacks from homes, schools, health care facilities, prisons, and
businesses.

 
- We need to abandon proposals
that do not work like carbon capture and storage but optimize
natural and working lands to capture Carbon.
 
 
We have no time to delay:
After the demise of Roe, there will be more pregnant women and
babies. CARB must proceed aggressively to net zero to protect all
of us who are vulnerable to this climate health emergency.  
 
Margie Chen MD
Clinical Professor,
emeritus 
Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
UCSF