By: Melody Reis, Federal Policy Director
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 today. My name is Melody Reis, and I am the Federal Policy Director for Moms Clean Air Force. I am here to urge EPA not to delay or weaken tailpipe standards for light and medium duty vehicles.
Light- and medium-duty vehicles – the cars and trucks we drive every day, the vans and delivery trucks that bring packages to our neighborhoods and doorsteps - are an important part of our lives. They’re also a significant source of air pollution.
Tailpipe emissions are a major source of nitrogen oxides – or NOx - which reacts in the atmosphere to form ground-level ozone, also known as smog; volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulate matter (also known as soot). These pollutants have been linked to a number of negative health outcomes, including damage to our hearts, lungs, and brains.
Children, whose bodies and lungs are still growing, are among the most vulnerable to the harms of air pollution. Unfortunately, in the American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air Report, released earlier this year, the DC Metro region, where I live, received an F – a failing grade – for ozone pollution, and a D for 24-hour particle pollution.
Poor air quality forces parents, teachers, and other caregivers to ask difficult questions. We’ve all heard that kids benefit from being outdoors and breathing fresh air. But what if your air isn’t fresh? What if being outdoors means breathing polluted air that has received a failing or near-failing grade from the American Lung Association? Do the benefits of outdoor play still outweigh the risks?
Strong limits on tailpipe emissions from the transportation sector would make a tremendous difference for those of us who live in regions with poor air quality, and especially for those who live near highways and truck routes - often communities of color and low-income communities - where tailpipe exhaust is inescapable. It would make a huge difference for children who suffer from asthma – there are over 12,000 in the DC area alone. We know that pollution-reducing technology exists and is readily available. Let’s lead the way to a cleaner, healthier future. Let’s not delay.
Thank you for your time.