We are all reeling from the astonishing political developments surrounding Build Back Better this weekend. The spectacle of bad faith — Senator Joe Manchin negotiating with his president for months only to announce a No vote on television without any warning — has been shocking. Moms Clean Air Force takes heart from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s statement: “This is not over, folks.”
We agree. We are not done fighting to get legislation passed that will protect our children from the increasingly dangerous warming that we are experiencing because of our methane and carbon emissions. We have to get those under control — and doing that is far less expensive than scrambling to repair the damage from extreme weather.
But. There is good news, happening in large part because of all your work.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan has announced finalized — and ambitious — Clean Car Standards that will greatly reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution. These final protections have been significantly strengthened from EPA’s original proposal, and they represent an appropriate response to the urgent need to cut climate emissions and end tailpipe pollution.
The new standards, which address climate pollution from light-duty vehicles of model years 2023–26, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks by 3.1 billion tons by 2050, representing 50% greater reductions, compared to the original proposal.
Transportation is the leading source of climate pollution in the US. It is essential that we clean up cars and trucks to fight climate change.
Moms Clean Air Force celebrates the vision and leadership of Administrator Regan and his colleagues at EPA. Moms have been urging EPA to finalize the strongest possible tailpipe pollution standards. The agency listened.
That’s good news for the millions of children whose asthma is made worse by car pollution. It’s good for the Black and Latino communities that are disproportionately exposed to tailpipe pollution. It’s good for all people living near highways and around dense traffic — and suffering poor health because of it. It’s good for all the families struggling with the real-time impacts of climate change. It’s good for every parent who wants a healthy future for their children.
It is immensely gratifying to parents across the country to know that Administrator Regan cares about protecting people, core to the EPA’s historic mission. Please take a moment to thank the EPA for their Clean Car Standards today.
Now more than ever, Moms are counting on Administrator Regan and EPA to keep going strong on cleaning up air and climate pollution however they possibly can.
Wishing you a happy new year, and sending enormous gratitude for all you do.