CONTACT: Sasha Tenenbaum, stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org, (917) 887-0146
Washington, DC – Today, Molly Rauch, Public Health Policy Director for Moms Clean Air Force, released the following statement in response to news that Environmental Protection Agency (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:
“Today, 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.
“Administrator Regan’s ambitious Clean Car Standards demonstrate a commitment to protecting those most harmed by air pollution and climate change. 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.
“These new Clean Car Standards are a critical tool in the climate fight. 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.
“We have a lot more work to do to clean up climate pollution from cars, but today’s ambitious protections are an important step toward 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales by 2035. There’s not a moment to waste in cutting climate pollution from future model years. Moms are counting on Administrator Regan and EPA to keep going strong on cleaning up air and climate pollution from the transportation sector, for the sake of our children’s health.”