American Lung Association Applauds Delaware Action on Zero-Emission Vehicles Today

Today, Delaware joins the growing list of states taking bold action on zero-emission transportation to protect the public from harmful pollution from passenger vehicles. The state officially adopted Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rules that set the state on a target for 82% Zero-Emission Vehicle sales by 2032 while also requiring cleaner combustion engines. This rulemaking package takes important steps to clean up the air for Delawareans, but there is more to be done as the state did not seize the opportunity for full adoption of ACC II through 2035. 

Deborah Brown, Chief Mission Officer with the American Lung Association issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement:

“Delaware is moving in the right direction with today’s action on Advanced Clean Cars: there is no question that the transition to cleaner and zero-emission vehicles will save lives and reduce lung health emergencies. This policy will ensure that more pollution-free vehicles are available in Delaware to help bring cleaner, healthier air with each breath. To address lung health and our climate crisis, more must be done to ensure the transition to zero-emissions includes medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and a shift from combustion to zero-emissions for our power supply. We urge Delaware to implement these rules and ultimately consider full implementation of the ACC II with 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035.”

The Lung Association’s Driving to Clean Air report published in June 2023 noted that Delaware could see $4.3 billion public health benefits savings by cutting passenger vehicle emissions, including avoiding approximately 400 premature deaths and 9,500 asthma attacks—by 2050 if a widespread shift to 100% zero-emissions passenger vehicle sales and clean, non-combustion electricity were to occur by 2035. The adopted ACC II rules will move Delaware families closer to achieving these health benefits but stopped short of the full implementation of the program modeled in the report.

The American Lung Association supports the widespread and rapid shift to zero-emission transportation as vital to improving lung health and saving lives. The standards set by the ACC II rules are central to this transition.

Everyone in Delaware will benefit from the cleaner air that these rules provide. This is especially true for the more than 13,700 children and 79,000 adults with asthma as well as the tens of thousands of Delawareans more vulnerable due to age or medical conditions according to the Lung Association’s State of the Air 2023 report.