The Environmental Protection AgencyâÄôs mission is to protect human health and the environment. This organization helps control pollution, which in turn improves environmental conditions as well as the health of people. While it requires regulations to make this possible, we should embrace the EPA and its practices because these rules benefit us in the end.

There have been many attacks against projects of the EPA, like Sen. Rand PaulâÄôs unsuccessful attempt to block the Cross State Air Pollution Rule. The EPA recently created this regulation in order to control the amount of pollution spreading across state borders. Paul claims that the EPA is killing jobs. But if he had blocked the rule, more deaths and health issues would have occurred, as well as more environmental problems. The human cost would have significantly outweighed the benefit.

We should all value clean air and water and good health. Recent attacks on the EPA are attacks on these values and simply donâÄôt make sense.

Paul, along with others who are against the EPA, believe that their regulations cost jobs. But this attitude is not based in reality. In 2010, only 0.3 percent of layoffs occurred because of government regulation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The EPA is protecting our nation and the people in it by limiting toxic and harmful emissions. Controlling pollution should be a concern of all Americans.

While too much government regulation can be a bad thing, the EPAâÄôs regulations are necessary. We must let the EPA do its job to help keep the environment clean and people healthy.