By: Jayne Black, Wisconsin 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
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
My name is Jayne Black. I live in Brown County, Wisconsin. I am the Wisconsin field coordinator for Moms Clean Air Force.
I am here today not just as an advocate, but as a mother of a daughter and son whose health is greatly impacted by air pollution. I am here for all our children whose very lives depend on clean air and a stable climate. I strongly urge you not to rescind the Endangerment Finding or limits on greenhouse gas pollution from motor vehicle tailpipes. We cannot afford to walk away from these vital protections.
In 2025 the Milwaukee Journal reported that Wisconsin’s climate is becoming warmer and wetter. Across the state, temperatures have warmed about three degrees and rainfall has increased about five inches, or 17%, since 1950, according to the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts’ most recent report.
Higher temperatures can increase the formation of ground-level ozone, a pollutant that irritates the lungs and airways. Ozone can trigger asthma attacks and many other health conditions, and research suggests it can increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) and trigger MS flares. Higher temperatures mean longer pollen seasons with even more pollen, worsening allergies and asthma. Intense storms and wildfire smoke impacts air quality, harming respiratory health. For the nearly 77,000 children in Wisconsin struggling with asthma, poor air quality takes a significant toll on everyday quality of life. For my son who has asthma it has means a daily struggle to breathe, greater use of his inhaler and additional medicine that has horrible side effects that also affect his anxiety and mental health.
And for my daughter who has multiple sclerosis it means living every day taking precautions that make her world and life very small, and relapse episodes that cause lesions that deteriorate her MS even further.
Science is clear that climate change is driven by human activity, largely the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and gas. The transportation sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for over a quarter of total climate pollution in the U.S. in 2022.
I am asking to protect the Endangerment Finding and limits on climate pollution from motor vehicle tailpipes for the sake of our children. Their health and safety should be our priority.
Thank you.