• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Moms Clean Air Force

Fighting for Our Kids' Health

  • Take Action
    • Right Now
      • Sign a Petition
      • Register to Vote
      • Volunteer for Clean Air
      • Clean Air Action Guide
    • Attend an Event
      • Event Calendar
      • Forum on Maternal & Child Health in a Dangerous Climate
    • En Español
      • EcoMadres
    • Support Moms
      • Donate
  • What We Work On
    • Moms Priorities
      • EPA Work
      • Legislation We Support
      • Justice in Every Breath
      • Moms & Mayors
      • EcoMadres
    • Air Pollution
      • Cars and Trucks
      • Electric School Buses
      • Maternal Health
      • Mercury
      • Ozone Pollution
      • Soot Pollution
    • Climate Change
      • Carbon Pollution
      • Clean Energy
      • Extreme Weather
      • Mental Health
      • Methane
    • Plastics and Petrochemicals
      • “Advanced Recycling”
      • Petrochemical Pollution
      • Waste Incineration
    • Toxic Chemicals
      • Chemical Safety
      • Schools and Playgrounds
      • Vinyl Chloride
  • Where We Work
    • State Chapters
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Illinois
      • Iowa
      • Louisiana
      • Maryland
      • Michigan
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Hampshire
      • New Jersey
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • North Carolina
      • Ohio
      • Pennsylvania
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Virginia
      • Washington
      • Washington, DC
      • West Virginia
      • Wisconsin
  • Who We Are
    • Mission

      We are a community of over 1.5 million parents united against air and climate pollution to protect our children’s health.

      • Learn More
    • Our Team
      • National Team
      • Field Organizers
      • Job Openings
    • Learn More
      • Our Mission
      • Legislation We Support
      • Notable Achievements
      • 2024 Annual Report
      • Newsletter Archive
    • Programs
      • EcoMadres
      • Community Health Justice
      • Indigenous Communities
    • Get in Touch
      • Contact Us
      • Media Inquiries
  • Articles
    • All Articles
      • Topics
        • Plastics and Petrochemicals
        • Mom Detective
        • Air Pollution
        • Climate Change
        • Toxic Chemicals
    • Mental Health and Climate Change: Maintaining Well-Being When Pollution Protections Are Under Attack
      #MomsSummerofAction: Tell EPA to Keep Their Hands Off Climate Pollution Limits for Power Plants
      Moms’ Stephanie Reese on Juneteenth and EPA in The New Lede
      The Big Brutal Bill Puts Our Children’s Health in Jeopardy
  • Resources
  • Press
    • Media Contact

      For all urgent press inquiries, please contact DKC News

      • MomsCleanAirForce@dkcnews.com
    • Moms in the Media
      • Press Releases
      • News Stories
      • Moms Make News Archives
  • Donate

FacebookTwitterinstagram

  • Take Action
  • Join the Force
  • Donate

Virginia Public Health and Environmental Advocates Say It’s Time for Bold Federal Investment in Clean Transportation

email Email Linkfacebook Share on Facebooktwitter Share on X

Press Statement July 22, 2021

Contact: Seth Palmer, 919.653.7816, seth@npstrategy.com

Virginia Beach, VA — Today, Virginia public officials and environmental health advocates urged the state’s elected leaders in Washington to support federal investments in clean transportation infrastructure. The press conference was hosted by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Moms Clean Air Force, and Mothers Out Front. It is part of a series of events occurring across the country as the Biden administration and the U.S. Congress consider broad infrastructure proposals and investments in clean transportation.

“When it comes to the disastrous impacts of climate change, Virginia Beach is one of the most at-risk communities in the nation,” said Delegate Nancy Guy, Virginia House of Delegates District 83. “That’s why we’ve fought to lead the way on electric buses, and why we need Washington to help us commit to a bold expansion of electric buses in school districts and municipalities across the Commonwealth.”

Speakers praised Representative Elaine Luria (VA-02) to continue supporting clean energy growth and the expansion of the market for clean vehicles and buses in order to improve public health and create economic opportunity for all Virginians. Modernizing our transportation sector and investing in clean vehicle technologies are critical to combating climate change, which makes extreme weather events like heat waves, droughts, floods, and hurricanes more frequent and intense.

“Virginia has moved from the bottom of the pack to become a national leader on clean energy, thanks to the Virginia Clean Economy Act,” said Sen. Jennifer McClellan, who was the chief sponsor of the landmark Virginia Clean Economy Act that passed in 2020. “The climate crisis is an existential threat to the health and safety of Virginia families, and we must come together to take immediate action. Now is the time for urgent federal action on investing in clean energy, increasing electric vehicles and addressing environmental justice. Climate action can save consumers money, create new jobs and protect Virginians from the damaging impacts of climate change.”

Investments in clean transportation and electric buses and vehicles are essential to meeting our nation’s climate goals, reducing air pollution, improving public health, achieving environmental justice, and spurring the economy. Hampton Roads Transit is already operating electric buses that displace 230,000 pounds of carbon pollution per year and reduce energy costs by 75 percent for each diesel bus replaced.

“Our children deserve better than starting their school day with a breath full of diesel pollution,” said Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. “Here in Virginia, we know that electric buses are our future, and we have the opportunity to see this through in a big way as we work to ‘Build Back Better,’ making key investments that cut pollution, expand electric vehicles, address the climate crisis in an equitable way, and secure a better future for our kids and grandkids.”

Meaningful federal investments can spur the advancement of such programs that lead to cleaner air, reduced fuel costs, and more family-sustaining for our communities. They also encourage private investment to develop electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them.

“As the market leader in electric school buses, Blue Bird is fully committed to ensuring that the federal infrastructure legislation includes the funding needed to support access for school districts across the country,” said Albert Burleigh, Executive Director, EV Sales, Blue Bird Corporation. “It is imperative that our nation’s children ride to schools in not just the safest buses in the world but also the cleanest.”

Recent polling found that these investments are popular in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. 86 percent of voters in the 2nd Congressional District support investments to rebuild roads and bridges and modernize public transportation to ensure it is cleaner and able to serve more people. 74 percent also support transitioning to clean energy and technologies, including reducing carbon pollution from the transportation sector.

“Electric buses clean up the air for our kids and communities,” said Julie Kimmel, Project Manager for Moms Clean Air Force Virginia. “As the parent of a six-year-old daughter, I’m calling on Congress to pass bold climate legislation with meaningful investments in electrifying our school bus, transit, and trucking fleets—to protect the health and future for my daughter and her peers.”

For a video of the press conference, click HERE.

About Moms Clean Air Force: Our mission is to protect children from air pollution and climate change. We envision a safe, stable, and equitable future where all children breathe clean air. We are a community of 1.5 million moms and dads united against air pollution – including the urgent crisis of our changing climate – to protect our children’s health. We fight for Justice in Every Breath, recognizing the importance of equitable solutions in addressing air pollution and climate change. For more information, go to https://www.momscleanairforce.org or follow us on Twitter @CleanAirMoms, Instagram @cleanairmoms, or Facebook.

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

Donate

Footer

Moms Clean Air Force ®

We are a community of 1.5 million moms and dads united against air pollution – including the urgent crisis of our changing climate – to protect our children’s health.

Areas of Focus

  • Air Pollution
  • Climate Change
  • Toxic Chemicals

FacebookTwitterinstagram

© 2025 Moms Clean Air Force
All rights reserved

Privacy Policy