By: Laurie Anderson, Colorado Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: June 2, 2021
About: Environmental Protection Agency Reconsideration of SAFE 1 Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0257
To: Environmental Protection Agency
My name is Laurie Anderson, and I am a field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. I live in Broomfield, Colorado. Thank you for this opportunity to testify.
I am a mom of five kids and a mechanical engineer by degree, but I turned my focus to protecting public health and safety after becoming a mom. I also serve as a councilmember for the City and County of Broomfield but am speaking on my own behalf.
My community is located along Colorado’s Front Range, where we are known for our majestic mountains and sunshine. However, not so well known is our problematic air inversions, where cool nighttime air traps high levels of pollution up against the Rocky Mountains, which impacts our air quality in Front Range communities. The Denver Metro North Front Range is currently listed in “serious” nonattainment for ground-level ozone and is slated to soon be downgraded to “severe” nonattainment as we contend with pollution from the oil and gas sector in the DJ basin combined with vehicle pollution.
Climate change and air pollution is a reality we must contend with. Therefore, I support this administration’s proposal to reinstate state authority to set stronger clean car standards. I urge this administration to move forward on setting ambitious federal clean car standards as well. These standards have already gone through a rigorous technical review process, which found that auto manufacturers have the technology to meet the standards. I urge you to keep these standards as originally designed to ensure the greatest reductions in climate pollution.
A few years ago, recognizing the benefit of leading by example, I switched to an EV in an effort to reduce my own pollution. I purchased my Nissan Leaf understanding that this would be a change, but I have never regretted that decision. Our communities are ready to embrace the change to EVs and cleaner vehicles.
Allowing our states to implement stricter climate pollution standards for vehicles will help Colorado in our ozone plight. By reducing tailpipe pollution, which includes NOx (a precursor to ozone), we thereby help reduce ground-level ozone pollution, and our hope of getting out of ozone nonattainment so we can breathe easier.
I am concerned about the impacts of climate change. Last year, Colorado experienced the three worst wildfires in our state’s history, which impacted air quality across the state, and Colorado remains in severe drought on the western slope. Additionally, Colorado relies on our winter snowpack for our water supply. These impacts are serious, and we must reduce our pollution now.
President Biden’s 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 are already primed to do. States have the power to drive down pollution and spur the economy by increasing EV innovation at the state level while feeding into national efforts to electrify the transportation sector.
Colorado is ready to embrace these changes, and our states should be allowed to band together to set tougher transportation pollution standards, particularly for cars and trucks, as allowed under the Clean Air Act. All states should again be able to exercise that authority to take their own steps to protect their families from vehicle pollution.
I support the proposal to reinstate state authority to set strong standards. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.