Moms Clean Air Force is working on several campaigns to limit tailpipe pollution from vehicles, including:
Light-Duty Cars and Trucks
On March 20, 2024, EPA announced the finalization of new standards that will significantly cut the dangerous tailpipe pollution produced by passenger vehicles, like cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks. These protections put us on a critical path to boosting the electric vehicle market share. This is a huge win for the climate and our kids.
Moms have been fighting for strong protections against air and climate pollution, including tailpipe emissions, since 2011. In May 2023, dozens of Moms staff and members gave testimony in support of the Cleaner Car Standards at EPA’s virtual public hearing; thousands more submitted written comments to the docket. We are celebrating—but there is always more work to be done to clean up the transportation sector.
Heavy-Duty Vehicles
(Trucks and Buses)
On March 29, 2024, EPA announced the finalization of new greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, including delivery trucks, big-rig tractors, and a host of other commercial vehicles. These new protections—taken together with new standards for cars and soot pollution—will set us on a course for a healthier future for our planet and for our children.
Moms were on hand in April 2023 when EPA announced historic standards to address climate pollution from heavy-duty trucks, another big step forward in the transition to zero-emission vehicles. In May 2023, dozens of Moms staff and members gave testimony in support of these standards at EPA’s virtual public hearing; thousands more submitted written comments to the docket. We will keep showing up as clean vehicle rules are implemented across the transportation sector.
The transportation sector is the largest source of
climate pollution in the US.
WHY WE CARE
The transportation sector is the largest source of climate pollution in the US. Cars, trucks, and buses can emit many harmful pollutants, such as soot, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. Tailpipe emissions can also combine with heat and air to form ground-level ozone, or smog. Strong limits are needed.
Diesel buses also pollute our air and harm our health. Tailpipe pollution inside a diesel bus can be even higher than outside, a big concern for students with long commutes as well as bus drivers. Electric buses run on battery power with no tailpipe emissions—on the bus or into surrounding communities.
HEALTH IMPACTS
Exposure to tailpipe pollution from cars and trucks can cause a range of health effects, such as asthma, lung infections, heart attacks, stroke, premature death, low birth weight, and cancer.
Diesel exhaust is also a known carcinogen. Children are more vulnerable to diesel pollution than adults. Millions of children still ride diesel-powered school buses, exposing them to harmful pollution that can trigger asthma attacks, interfere with lung development, and even reduce their ability to learn.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
In the US, low-income, Black, Asian, Latino, and Tribal communities are more likely to live near truck routes and bear a disproportionately heavy burden from tailpipe pollution’s health harms. This is a profound environmental injustice. Some families face cumulative effects of pollution, living near oil refineries as well as trucking routes and major highways.
BACK STORY
In 2012, the Clean Car Standards were adopted to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks with broad support from automakers, labor, and consumers—including members of Moms Clean Air Force, who testified in support of strong regulations. They have proved achievable and cost-effective for the auto industry and have resulted in the cleanest and most efficient vehicles in US history. They’ve also saved families money at the pump and reduced our reliance on foreign oil.
The Biden administration has pledged a 50% reduction of climate pollution from 2005 levels by 2030. To help meet this goal, EPA finalized stronger pollution protections for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles in March 2024. Moms helped, showing up in force at EPA’s virtual public hearings and delivering nearly 10,000 written comments in favor of the strongest possible rules.