By: Mercedes McKinley, Nevada State Coordinator, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: May 3, 2023
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0985
To: Environmental Protection Agency
My name is Mercedes McKinley. I am a Nevada state coordinator for Moms Clean Air Force and its Latino engagement program, EcoMadres. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am the mother of a two-year-old baby girl and the main caregiver for my 78-year-old mother. I am here to express my deep support for stronger transportation standards for all heavy-duty trucks made in model years 2027 and beyond.
As a longtime resident of Las Vegas, I can wholeheartedly tell you that for most of my developing life I have lived close to major highways in this city, and it hasn’t been good. I know my dad would have rather moved the family to nicer neighborhoods over the years, however, these locations offered us the most affordable homes. The sacrifice is having to breathe in polluted air that makes you feel lightheaded, some days you begin to cough as soon as you walk outside. The transportation sector is responsible for health-harming tailpipe pollution and nearly 1/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions, our society depends on it, therefore it is crucial that we move in the direction of zero emission vehicles as soon as possible.
A few months ago, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. As I work to understand the condition, I learned things that have shocked me and offer more concern than comfort. Research shows that air pollution can affect and worsen symptoms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s. My mother’s brain does not receive the necessary oxygen and she uses a machine to sleep with at night that delivers more oxygen to her system. Living in this neighborhood has added challenges to her health because of the exposure to pollution from trucks and cars, she has lived there since 1999. My daughter’s tiny lungs which are still developing are also at risk because her risk of asthma is higher. Latino children and African American children are at higher risk of developing asthma when compared to other demographics. My daughter is African American and Latina, by having stronger standards, the EPA can help increase the chances that she may one day not fall into this category of statistics. Stronger standards will help speed up our transition to zero-emissions vehicles, helping to clean up the kinds of tailpipe pollution that affect my family’s health.
Again, I strongly urge the EPA to enact standards for cleaner heavy-duty trucks consistent with the Advanced Clean Trucks rules so that our children and our elderly have a better chance of breathing deeply without being harmed. Please help me protect them, please help us protect our children. Thank you for your time.