By: Elizabeth Bechard, Public Health Manager
Date: June 3, 2026
About: Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-3297
To: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Good morning. My name is Elizabeth Bechard, and I’m the Public Health Manager for Moms Clean Air Force. I’m here today to advocate for maintaining strong tailpipe protections for light- and medium-duty vehicles, and for fully implementing these standards without delay.
The American Lung Association’s 2026 State of the Air Report shows that nearly half of children in the U.S. are exposed to unhealthy levels of particle pollution or ozone pollution in their communities. This is an unacceptably high number, and tailpipe exhaust from cars is a significant source of both particle pollution and the nitrogen oxides that react in the atmosphere to form ground-level ozone.
We know that breathing unhealthy air is dangerous for children’s developing lungs. Tailpipe pollution is a significant contributor to asthma, which is the leading cause of chronic illness in children. Many of our Moms Clean Air Force members across the country parent children with asthma and have to deal with the frightening reality of watching their children struggle to breathe when the air quality is poor.
As the mother of a child with a complex neuroimmune illness, I’m also especially concerned about emerging evidence of the harmful impact of air pollution on children’s immune systems and brains. Research suggests that exposure to air pollution may be linked to increased risk of autoimmune diseases, and we know that air pollution harms our delicate brains. A recent study from the University of Finland suggests that traffic pollution may contribute to brain inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases by harming brain cells called microglia, which are specialized immune cells in the brain that clear cellular waste and help maintain homeostasis. Other studies are finding that traffic pollution can adversely impact memory, attention, and executive function through mechanisms like neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation.
When my son is in a flare of his illness, his brain becomes acutely inflamed, and we go to great lengths to protect him from anything that might make this inflammation worse, including exposure to unhealthy air. We live in Vermont, where tailpipe pollution isn’t our primary air pollution threat, but in many parts of the country, this threat is far greater. I think often of families like ours whose medically complex children are exposed to unhealthy levels of traffic pollution on a daily basis. We know that the burden of traffic pollution is much higher for communities of color and low-income communities, which compounds existing health inequities.
Tailpipe pollution is something we can really do something about. I was excited when EPA issued new, stronger tailpipe rules in 2024. Delaying or weakening these protections would be a step in the wrong direction for all children and families, but especially for families living with asthma or other chronic illnesses that make them uniquely vulnerable to the threat of unhealthy air. I urge you to implement the 2024 Clean Cars standards without delay, because all children deserve to breathe clean air.