Let EPA Administrator Michael Regan know we need the Strongest Clean Cars Standards Passed as Quickly as Possible! Add your Voice by Signing this Petition!
Dear Administrator Regan,
The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gasses in the United States, making up nearly 30% of our country’s emissions. Emissions from passenger vehicles and trucks pollute the air we breathe causing adverse health impacts and contributing to the increasingly urgent issue of climate change. Nurses applaud EPA for finalizing robust clean car standards through model year 2026 and for taking the important next steps to finalize stricter clean car and truck standards through model year 2027.
It is critical that EPA finalized the strongest possible clean car and truck standards to drive a rapid transition to zero emissions vehicles. Numerous studies show that poor health outcomes and higher incidences of chronic conditions, like asthma, lung disease, and cancer, are linked to tailpipe pollution from passenger vehicles. In 2020, the national passenger vehicle fleet represented approximately 94 percent of the nation’s on-road vehicles and generated over one million tons of ozone- and particle-forming NOx emissions, and over 33,400 tons of fine particles annually. Further, freight truck pollution harms especially those who live near highways, ports, freight hubs and other high traffic areas. We know that clean car standards are the most effective policy to reduce dangerous air pollution and protect public health nationwide.
Climate change poses serious threats to the health and lives of all Americans, especially children, older adults, low-wealth communities, communities of color and people living with chronic diseases. When poor air quality due to vehicle emissions coincides with climate-related risks, such as extreme heat or ground-level ozone, adverse health effects are further amplified. By finalizing the strongest possible clean car standards for cars and trucks, EPA will help the communities, who often are more exposed to air pollution and the hardest hit by effects of climate change, and align with the Biden Administration’s environmental justice goals.
The Biden Administration has an opportunity to protect public health and fight the climate crisis with strong long-term clean cars standards. As we transition nationwide to zero-emission vehicles, we urge EPA to move swiftly to enact the strongest possible long-term standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks to clean our air, keep Americans healthy, and combat the climate crisis.
