Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari gathered with veterans, public health experts and advocates last Thursday to urge the Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) to enact stricter clean car standards for vehicles produced in 2027 or later.
The speakers called for limits on tailpipe emissions for newer cars and lighter weight trucks, saying that these changes will mitigate the effects of climate change and air pollution, strengthen national security, help the economy and improve public health in Arizona.
Ansari said that Phoenix’s air pollution reduces quality of life for residents, especially those whose medical condition or age forces them to stay indoors and away from other people. She also said that families are burdened by the growing price of gasoline.
She encouraged the White House to keep the momentum from previous environmental policy.
“[The Biden] administration’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act was the most aggressive investment in a greener, cleaner future,” she said. “Now, we are asking President Biden to build on that legacy by working with the EPA to pass strong federal clean car standards that will help Arizona.”
VetsForward Executive Director and U.S. Army Reserve Major Aaron Márquez presented environmental issues as a national security concern. He said that stronger pollution standards make the U.S. economy less reliant on foreign oil and more energy independent.
Márquez also said that extreme weather attributed to climate change damages military installations and “increases the requirements for our armed service members to deploy to respond to these disasters.”
Furthermore, Márquez said that the physical health of veterans is at stake.
“Exposure to toxic substances during military service already puts veterans of the U.S. armed forces at higher risk for respiratory illness, so it’s even more important for veterans and military families to take action now to create a cleaner, more renewable future,” he said.
Jason Lowry, Director of Sustainability Initiatives at Local First Arizona, said that stricter clean car standards will benefit the local electric vehicle industry.
“Arizona is a leader in electric vehicle development and manufacturing…with countless small and locally owned electric vehicle maintenance, charging and repair companies,” he said. “Stronger standards will drive investment to existing companies and generate new companies across our state.”
Lowry added that new standards will save local businesses owners money at the gas pump and ensure a healthy and productive workforce.
“We know that a healthy employee is a better employee,” he said. “With over 500,000 Arizona adults living with asthma, polluted air is a hindrance to performance. During events like high ozone levels, many have to take sick time to address their respiratory health.”
Other speakers were JoAnna Strother, Senior Director of Advocacy in the southwest for the American Lung Association and Ida Sami, Director of Research and Impact for Community Lattice and an Arizona Field Coordinator for Moms Clean Air Force.
Phoenix is not the first to have a coalition calling for clean car standards. Genesee County, Michigan; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Maine; and Madison, Wisconsin have held similar conferences.
Contact the reporter at ndubovis@asu.edu.
