Last week, the American Lung Association released its annual “report card” on US air quality, the State of the Air report.
A key takeaway: Climate change is making the job of cleaning up the air more difficult. High ozone days and spikes in particle pollution related to heat, drought, and wildfires are putting millions of families at risk.
This is why EPA’s recent proposal to reduce climate pollution from heavy-duty trucks and buses is especially important to protect our families.
The new Clean Truck proposal would help us avoid 1.8 billion tons of carbon emissions through 2055—equivalent to eliminating all climate pollution from the entire current US transportation sector for one year.
It would also speed the transition to zero-tailpipe-pollution electric heavy-duty vehicles. EPA estimates that 50% of new buses and 25% of new heavy-duty trucks would be all-electric by 2032.
And importantly for the 120 million in the US who still live in places with failing grades for air quality, the proposed Clean Truck standards would improve air quality nationwide―especially for those living near major roadways. This will help address the significant health impacts of air pollution, including premature death, heart attacks, respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, aggravated asthma, and adverse birth outcomes.
Creating cleaner vehicles is an opportunity we can’t miss to reduce health-harming pollution, address climate change, advance environmental justice, and create jobs. To say it plainly, clean transportation means thriving communities and healthier families.
TELL EPA: SET STRONG LIMITS ON CLIMATE POLLUTION FROM HEAVY-DUTY TRUCKS