American Lung Association Calls on EPA to Stop Weakening Standards that Make Cars and Trucks Cleaner

On Friday, the American Lung Association joined 51 other national health, medical and nursing organizations in submitting comments to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to weaken health-protective emissions standards for new heavy-duty vehicles, which are set to apply starting in model year 2027. The Lung Association also delivered comments from 370 members of the public, including 100 health professionals.

This is the latest round of comments that the American Lung Association has delivered to oppose federal actions to weaken, delay and roll back clean vehicle programs. The organization recently delivered comments opposing EPA’s proposal to delay the implementation of emissions standards for cars and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) proposed rollback of fuel economy standards. Further, the Lung Association is closely monitoring developments related to NHTSA’s next steps on weakening standards as well as Congressional actions to undermine state-level clean air protections.

“Pollution from cars and trucks makes people sick, including children. It can lead to wheezing and coughing, shortness of breath, asthma attacks, premature births, and even lung cancer and premature death,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. 

“Trucks make up just a small fraction of all the vehicles on the road but generate the greatest share of harmful air pollutants. For people living in communities with heavy truck traffic, the pollution is a serious health hazard. We are deeply disappointed that EPA would propose another round of policies that will increase pollution and worsen health outcomes, on top of other recent federal actions that make cars more expensive and polluting. EPA must return to its mission to protect public health and drop these proposals.”

Comments submitted to EPA include:

• National health organizational comments on the proposal to weaken the clean trucks rules
• Petition from individuals (including health professionals and the general public) on the proposal to weaken the clean trucks rules