By: Liz Hurtado, National Field Manager, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: August 21, 2025
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Good afternoon, my name is Liz Hurtado, and I am a national field manager for Moms Clean Air Force. I am a proud Latina mother of four living in Connecticut, and the wife of a U.S. Marine who has served our country for nearly 20 years. As a military spouse, I’ve learned what resilience looks like in the face of constant change and uncertainty. While my husband dedicates his life to serving our country, I dedicate myself to fighting for clean air and a safe future for our children. This shared commitment fuels my belief that true security begins with healthy communities and a stable climate.
I’m deeply concerned about the growing threats my children are experiencing due to human-induced climate change. That’s why I’m urging EPA not to revoke the Endangerment Finding—a foundational part of EPA’s ability to protect us from the health harms of climate pollution – or limits on climate-warming tailpipe emissions.
As a mother, nothing matters more to me than my children’s wellbeing. All four of my children play outdoor sports, and I constantly worry about what they’ll face if the EPA fails to do its job of cutting the climate emissions that are causing global warming, and contributing to more frequent and extreme weather disasters. Revoking the Endangerment Finding would put their future at risk. It would mean more dangerous heat days, more missed school days from storms, and more asthma attacks triggered by worsening air pollution.
Last year, my son developed allergy-induced asthma, and climate change is making it harder for him to stay healthy. Warmer temperatures are causing longer and more intense pollen seasons, and as the climate changes, plants like ragweed, grasses, and trees are producing more potent allergens. Increased rainfall and flooding also raise the risk of indoor mold, another serious asthma trigger. Children with allergic asthma like my son are now at greater risk of suffering more frequent and severe symptoms. Every season feels harder to manage, and it’s heartbreaking to see how much of his health is tied to the air he breathes.
Communities of color and lower income families carry the brunt of these impacts. In the United States, 71% of Latinos say climate change is already affecting their local communities. These are communities already overburdened by cumulative pollution from nearby industry. According to the American Lung Association, more than 15 million Hispanics live in counties with failing grades for ozone and particle pollution. Disproportionate exposure to air pollution leads to higher rates of premature death, asthma attacks, and chronic health conditions. Undermining the Endangerment Finding would only deepen these disparities as rising temperatures are linked to increases in air pollution.
That’s why it is EPA’s legal and moral responsibility to limit dangerous greenhouse gas emissions.
I am hopeful for a future where my children can grow up breathing clean air and living safe, healthy lives. That future depends on reducing climate pollution, protecting the Endangerment Finding, and keeping critical tailpipe rules in place.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.