American Lung Association Applauds California Legislature for Extending Critical Clean Air Funding

The American Lung Association applauds Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes and Senator Lena Gonzalez for championing AB 126, the reauthorization of another decade of crucial clean air investments through the Clean Transportation Program, Air Quality Improvement Program, and the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program. When signed into law, the bill will continue to provide critical funding to clean air and climate programs, with a strong focus on equity to ensure communities that need it the most can breathe healthy air. The bill is now on the Governor’s desk awaiting his signature.

In response to the passage of AB 126, Mariela Ruacho, Clean Air Advocacy Manager for the American Lung Association in California issued the following statement:

“Investing in clean air will pay major dividends to Californians’ health. The extension of these critical funds and programs will promote clean air and health equity by targeting pollution from passenger vehicles to heavy-duty trucks, and other transportation sources. Specifically, these programs help retire older, higher polluting cars, and provide support for zero-emission vehicle deployment and the infrastructure needed to support the transition to a zero-emission future. We thank Assemblymember Reyes and Senator Gonzalez for their leadership on AB 126 and look to Governor Newsom to quickly sign this life-saving policy into law.”

Transportation is a major source of emissions, in fact, over 90 percent of Californians live in areas impacted by unhealthy air. To reduce emissions, California needs to accelerate investments in the transition to zero-emissions vehicles. Our Zeroing in on Healthy Air report found that California has the most to gain from this transition - $169 billion in health benefits, over 15,000 lives saved, and more than 400,000 avoided asthma attacks by 2050.