By: Liz Hurtado, National Field Manager, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: May 9, 2023
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0829
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Good afternoon, my name is Liz Hurtado, and I am a national field manager for Moms Clean Air Force, and its Latino engagement program, EcoMadres. I am here today to voice my support for strong standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2027 and beyond, and to urge the EPA to finalize the strongest possible protections as quickly as possible.
I grew up in Peru, a country that is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, from sea level rise to extreme weather events. My hometown of Lima has some of the worst air pollution in Latin America, so I am no stranger to the harmful health effects of tailpipe pollution and the dire need to reduce these greenhouse gas emissions.
Here in the United States, climate change has an enormous and unequal impact on the health, livelihoods and wellbeing of Latinos with 71% of Latinos saying climate change is affecting their local community. A recent study found that Latine, Black, and other parents of color were more concerned than white parents about local environmental concerns related to climate change.
As a mother of four, nothing is more important to me than the wellbeing of my children. In the words of my daughter, Leena, “tailpipe pollution is dangerous for kids’ health, and terrible for our environment.”
Pollution from light- and medium-duty vehicles contributes to harmful soot and smog pollution that threatens the health of millions of people across the country. Latino communities are often closest to highways and bear a disproportionate burden from vehicle pollution. According to the American Lung Association’s most recent State of the Air report, over 9 million Hispanics in the US live in a county with a failing grade for air quality.
This is why we must slash emissions from the transportation sector and accelerate a transition towards zero-emission cars. I hope that in ten years, when all four of my children are of driving age, cleaner cars will be the new normal.
By enacting strong, health-protective standards, EPA can further its commitment to environmental justice, address the climate crisis and improve public health. I once again urge the EPA to finalize the strongest possible clean cars standards as soon as possible.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.