CONTACT: Sasha Tenenbaum
Senior Manager, Media and Public Engagement
stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org
(917) 887- 0146
WHAT: More than 25 Moms Clean Air Force staff, organizers, and members will testify before EPA in support of the agency’s proposed rule to cut tailpipe pollution from cars and light-trucks. Many of these same Moms testified just last week in support of strong heavy-duty truck pollution standards. Both of these proposed rules are important steps in tackling the climate crisis, which is fueling extreme weather and making it harder to clean up air pollution. The cars and light-trucks rules would also protect people from tailpipe pollutants that harm our brains, hearts, lungs, and more. Parents across the country want to see a rapid transition to zero-tailpipe-pollution vehicles and are calling on EPA to finalize the strongest possible clean cars and trucks standards this year.
WHO: Moms from the following states will provide testimony: AZ, CO, FL, IA, MD, MI, MT, NC, NM, NY, OH, PA, VA, VT, WV, and Washington, DC. The following impacted residents will be available for interview:
- Mercedes McKinley lives in Las Vegas with her family and serves as one of the Nevada field organizers for Moms Clean Air Force. Mercedes’ home is located close to a major highway, which is heavily trafficked by both cars and big-rigs. As a mother to a toddler, she worries about her daughter’s developing lungs.
- Jenn Cantley, a mother of three boys with asthma and one of the Nevada field organizers for Moms Clean Air Force, struggles with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a COVID long-hauler. Jenn and her sons live in Carson City, Nevada, just 2.3 miles from Highway 50, a transcontinental highway that spans California to Maryland. Tailpipe pollution can trigger asthma attacks, so transitioning to zero-emission cars and trucks that don’t spew toxic pollution into the air would greatly improve her family’s health.
- Shaina Oliver understands the disproportionate impact of tailpipe pollution on communities of color. As an Indigenous resident of the Northeast Denver Metro area, she and her family, including three sons, live near busy intersections and highway roads. To make matters worse, the Colorado Front Range continues to fail ozone pollution standards set by EPA. Colorado is now the 6th worst state for ozone pollution, according to the American Lung Association.
WHEN: The hearing will take place Tuesday, May 9, Wednesday, May 10, and Thursday, May 11. Speakers available for interview are scheduled to testify in the following order during the indicated windows:
- Shaina Oliver: Tuesday, May 9, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM ET
- Mercedes McKinley: Tuesday, May 9, 6:00–7:00 PM ET
- Jenn Cantley: Wednesday, May 10, 5:00–7:00 PM ET
WHERE: EPA will hear testimony over Zoom. To register for the hearing, send an email to EPA-LD-hearings@epa.gov.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: