Moms Clean Air Force

Fighting for Our Kids' Health

Clean Transportation

Moms Clean Air Force is working on three clean transportation campaigns, all aiming to limit tailpipe pollution:

Light-Duty Cars and Trucks

In the spring of 2023, EPA proposed Clean Car Standards that are a significant step forward in the transition to zero-emission vehicles. These standards would put us on a critical path to boosting the electric passenger vehicle market share to 67% by 2032. 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 are urging EPA to finalize the new standards as soon as possible.

Take Action

Heavy-Duty Vehicles
(Trucks and Buses)

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 are urging EPA to finalize the new standards as soon as possible.

Take Action

Electric School Buses

Moms are also working on the ground to ensure that funding from EPA’s Clean School Bus Program is allocated to the school districts that need it the most. They’re distributing $5 billion between 2022 and 2026 to clean up the nation’s school bus fleet, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The first round of recipients received funding for electric buses and charging infrastructure in October 2022. Applications for the second round of funding were due in August 2023, and awardees will be announced later this year.

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 strong near-term standards to cut climate pollution from cars in December 2021. Moms helped, showing up in force at EPA’s virtual public hearing and joining with coalition partners to deliver more than 200,000 written comments in favor of the strongest possible rule. EPA continued its progress on reducing tailpipe pollution by announcing the Clean Trucks Plan in December 2022.

Moms Clean Air Force has also actively been building support for electric school buses across the country, including hosting a summer road tour in 2021 and working directly with local school districts to transition their fleets.

More Articles and Resources

Join the force and stay updated on opportunities to take action:

Donate