By: Mary Wagner, Nevada Field Organizer
Date: June 3, 2026
About: Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-3297
To: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Mary Wagner, and I am the Nevada Field Organizer with Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres. I am a proud mother of two boys—one of whom lives with asthma. We live in Las Vegas, Nevada, just two minutes from both I-15 and US-95, two major highways that cut through our city and bring constant traffic, noise, and dangerous tailpipe pollution into our neighborhoods.
I am urging you not to delay implementation of critical safeguards on tailpipe pollution from light-duty vehicles.
Tailpipe exhaust is one of the largest contributors to the air pollution Nevada families breathe every day. Cars and trucks emit nitrogen oxides (NOx)—which form the ground-level ozone that blankets our valley—and particle pollution, or soot. Both of these pollutants are well-known triggers for asthma, heart problems, and long-term respiratory damage.
According to the American Lung Association’s 2026 State of the Air Report, Clark County received failing grades for both ozone and particle pollution. Las Vegas ranks 11th in the nation for unhealthy ozone days. More than 9 in 10 Nevadans live in a community with unhealthy air—and nearly 50,000 children in our state live with asthma, including my son.
For families like mine, tailpipe pollution is our daily reality. Living so close to I-15 and US-95 means constant exposure to heavy traffic emissions. On high-ozone days, we receive air quality warnings, outdoor activities are restricted, and my son’s asthma symptoms worsen. We’ve had days when we simply cannot let him play outside because the air is too dangerous to breathe. No parent should have to make that call.
Cleaner vehicles would mean cleaner air for my family and for all Nevadans. I was grateful when EPA finalized stronger tailpipe standards in 2024—standards that would finally push cleaner technologies onto our roads. Delaying implementation of those protections now would be a step backward that Nevada families cannot afford. The vehicles purchased today will be on our roads for decades. Delaying these protections will lock in more pollution, more asthma attacks, and more preventable health harm for a generation of kids who had nothing to do with this decision.
Nevada families deserve better. We have the technology to reduce tailpipe pollution, and every year we delay progress, our children pay the price. Nevada has already invested in clean transportation infrastructure. The standards need to keep pace.
I strongly urge EPA to maintain the light-duty tailpipe standards and protect the 152 million Americans—including nearly 3 million here in Nevada—who live with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution. Thank you for your time and your commitment to public health.