By: Fabiola Bedoya, Arizona Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: August 19, 2025
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Hola, my name is Fabiola Bedoya. I live in Tucson, Arizona, and I’m an Arizona Field Organizer with Moms Clean Air Force. I’m here today to urge the EPA not to rescind the Endangerment Finding or crucial limits on tailpipe pollution for motor vehicles. Strong climate protections are essential for families like mine, vulnerable communities, and future generations.
I was raised by a single parent working two jobs, but it still wasn’t enough to run the AC. I spent countless summers without it, soaking my pillow with water just to fall asleep—only to wake up when it got warm again.
Now, I’m a single mom to a six-year-old boy. And that heat I grew up with is even worse nowadays. Every summer, the heat in Southern Arizona is extreme and dangerous. We know that climate change—global warming—is causing temperatures to rise. We also know that human beings cannot tolerate extreme temperatures.
My son can’t play outside because playgrounds are too hot to touch. We stay indoors all day, relying on expensive air conditioning, which drives up our electric bills and makes it hard to afford other essentials. Even walking our dog becomes unsafe because the sidewalks are hot enough to burn paws. And a recent study found that during the first quarter of the 2024 school year, 93% of schools in Maricopa County, AZ experienced recess disruption due to high temperatures. For children, playing outside is vital for physical, mental, and social well-being. It’s deeply worrisome to think about the millions of children in Arizona who don’t have the access to outdoor play that they deserve, and what this will mean for their long-term development.
As a first-time homeowner in a lower-income neighborhood, I see how the urban heat island effect makes things worse. There aren’t enough trees or green spaces to provide relief. And for many families in trailers with only fans or swamp coolers, the heat is deadly.
Extreme heat is a silent killer. It causes serious health issues and puts already vulnerable communities at even greater risk.
The Endangerment Finding gives the EPA the authority to regulate the pollution driving this crisis. Rescinding it would take away vital protections and deepen the harm. I urge the EPA to uphold both the Endangerment Finding and vital limits on tailpipe pollution from motor vehicles. You have a legal and moral duty to act. I’m speaking up for my son, my neighbors, and everyone who deserves a safe, livable future.