By: Cinthia Moore, Nevada Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force, and National Lead, EcoMadres
Date: June 2, 2021
About: Environmental Protection Agency Reconsideration of SAFE 1 Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0257
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Good afternoon. My name is Cinthia Moore, and I am the Las Vegas field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force and national lead for EcoMadres. Moms Clean Air Force is an organization of over one and a half million moms and dads nationwide, with over 8,000 of those in Nevada, fighting for clean air.
Today I am calling in support of President Biden’s proposal to reinstate the authority for states to set their own clean car standards. The restoration of this Clean Air Act authority will be pivotal for additional states looking to push ahead with more ambitious clean vehicle initiatives and go even further than the federal government—as several states, such as Nevada, are already primed to do.
The American Lung Association's 2021 State of the Air Report ranked Las Vegas #12 in the country for ground ozone pollution, and Clark County ranked #17 in the country as the most polluted. Because of this, Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres were very active in the Nevada legislature advocating for a bill that would close the smog check loophole that our state had. This was important because it was a first step in reducing smog pollution from older, more polluting vehicles. We were successful, and on the last day of session, this bill passed and is now headed to the governor for a signature.
While this was a major victory in our state and a step in the right direction in improving our air quality, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Cleaning up vehicle pollution is one of the most important things we can do to fight climate change. We must allow states to protect their families from the climate crisis.
Improving our air quality is important for vulnerable groups like older Nevadans and for children, whose lungs are still developing, and for Latino families who are more likely to be exposed to air pollution. Latino children are 60% more at risk of having asthma attacks exacerbated by air pollution, and 40% more likely to die from an asthma attack. Efforts to improve our air quality are particularly important to me, as a mother of a four-year-old who has breathing problems, and to the parents of over 40,000 children who have asthma in Clark County.
Improving our air quality is an environmental justice issue. Everyone has a right to breathe clean air. I urge you to reinstate the authority for states to set their own clean car standards.
Thank you for your time.