By: Hazel Chandler, Arizona State Coordinator, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: May 10, 2023
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0829
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Hazel Chandler, and I am a field organizer with Moms Clean Air Force representing over 1.5 million moms nationwide. On behalf of Moms Clean Air Force, I call on EPA to finalize strong clean car standards this year. Stronger transportation standards are crucial in protecting the health of our children and communities, and it is urgent that we act now. We must act now while we still have some time to mitigate the worst of the climate emergency and begin to build a world we are proud to give our children and grandchildren.
The residents of Arizona, especially those living in Maricopa County, have been plagued with the health impacts of both the climate crisis and Air Pollution. The American Lung Association has consistently graded the Maricopa County and Pinal County areas with failing grades on air quality. The latest report came out last month and again, the Phoenix area has received an F on the American Lung Association “State of the Air” report. Currently 80% of AZ residents live in an area receiving a failing grade. Out of over 220 metropolitan areas, the Phoenix area ranked 5th worst for high ozone days, 13th worst for 24-hour participle pollution and 7th worst for annual particle pollution. The air we breathe is harming all of us, but especially our children and the elderly.
Maricopa County has received failing grades for air quality for well over 20 years. I got actively involved in government and stakeholder groups that were tasked with trying to bring our area into compliance in the early 2000s. I got involved due to serious health impacts that I was experiencing as well as observing the health impacts to the children that I worked with as the Director for the Maricopa County Asthma Coalition. It became very clear that the only way to bring our area into compliance is to either take cars/trucks off the road or significantly decrease tailpipe emissions.
I am a mom, grandmom, and recently a great grandmother living with asthma, respiratory issues, chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, and stage four cancer. My medical team has repeatedly made the connection between pollution and my health issues. Daily our failing grades are impacting all our health and threatening our quality of life and increasing mortality risks for everyone.
For well over 20 years, I have dreamed of EPA promulgating greenhouse gas emissions standards that would protect all our health by regulating our tailpipe emission, while stimulating a transition to Electric Vehicles. It is projected that two-thirds of the new light and medium duty trucks and cars will be electric vehicles by 2032 with the enactment of these regulations. This is my dream come true.
While the damage to my body is done and my quality of life has been greatly impacted, I plead with you to have the courage to enact strong Clean Car regulations without delay. This would be a dream come true—a world where our children can breathe clean air, while we address climate change while we still have time.