On April 12, 2023, Moms Clean Air Force’s National Field Manager Liz Hurtado spoke at EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced historic rulemakings to address pollution from the transportation industry.
Here’s her speech:
“I am honored to join you today to talk about the enormous public health benefits that come from reducing tailpipe pollution. As a mother of four, nothing is more important to me than the health of my children, including Leena—who is standing here with me. We traveled from Virginia Beach, Virginia, to join you today.
I’m Liz Hurtado, National Field Manager for Moms Clean Air Force and its Latino engagement program, EcoMadres. We are a community of more than one and a half million moms, dads, and caretakers united in the fight for clean air and climate action for the sake of our children’s health and their futures.
I grew up in Lima, Peru, which has some of the worst air pollution in Latin America, so I am no stranger to the harmful health effects of tailpipe pollution.
In the US, low-income, Black, Asian, and Latino 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.
Many of my fellow EcoMadres face these injustices. Let’s take Erandi Treviño in southeast Houston. She and her family face cumulative effects of pollution from living along the Houston Ship Channel, surrounded by heavy industry, oil refineries, and trucking routes.
Or take Mercedes McKinley. Her home in Las Vegas is located close to a major highway, which is used by both locals and a large number of big rigs that move through the Southwest. As a mother to a toddler, she worries about her daughter’s developing lungs.
And then there’s Ana Rios, who is raising a young family in Albuquerque—just one mile away from an interstate highway, near a railroad, and a few steps from a heavy-duty truck company, where trucks are pulling in and out every hour.
Based on where they live, Erandi, Mercedes, and Ana have a shared concern for their families’ health: the threat to their lungs, hearts, and brains.
We know that cutting air pollution from cars and trucks drastically reduces trips to the emergency room due to asthma attacks, and it also reduces the number of older adults who struggle with lung disease and other chronic conditions. These reductions greatly improve our families’ quality of life.
It’s why today’s news is both good and hopeful. EPA has made an important and historic step forward toward cleaning up toxic pollution from cars and trucks. And moms around the country are celebrating this transformative moment.
Why? Because strong tailpipe standards will accelerate our transition to zero-emission vehicles, resulting in cleaner air and less climate pollution.
Today, we are also celebrating all the health gains that will come from electrifying our transportation sector.
It’s why I hope that tonight, my fellow EcoMadres—Erandi, Mercedes, and Ana, especially—and everyone across the US can sleep a bit better knowing that long overdue protections are coming—we’re closer than ever to reducing the health risks that come with living near transportation hubs.
Today, we set a new standard for health equity as we advance solutions to the climate crisis. Our work is far from done, but we are making meaningful progress.
On behalf of our members across the country, we thank you, Administrator Regan. We salute your steadfast leadership. We urge you to keep your foot firmly on the accelerator when it comes to strengthening pollution standards. And please remember this: we parents will always have your back when we work together to protect our children and stabilize our climate. Now, let’s get the job done!
TELL EPA: SET STRONG LIMITS ON CLIMATE POLLUTION FROM HEAVY-DUTY TRUCKS