Today in Sacramento, California, is the last of the public hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed ozone (also known as smog) standards. People of all ages and backgrounds are gathering to speak out for a strong standard that will clean up the air. California is home to the five most dirtiest areas in the U.S. when it comes to air pollution - and today's testimony in Sacramento will include numerous residents from those cities.
Also testifying is Sierra Club National Program Director Sarah Hodgdon, and here is her full testimony, which highlights those most polluted regions:
My name is Sarah Hodgdon, and I am the National Program Director for the Sierra Club. On behalf of my organization and our 2.4 million members and supporters, I would like to commend the EPA’s efforts to reduce smog pollution nationwide and ask that the Agency finalize a rule that will truly protect public, environmental, and economic health.
In 2008, the former Administration finalized a smog standard that has proven to be inadequate. The failure of that rule is evident in California, which has the nation's five most smog-polluted cities. Statewide, smog pollution is responsible for 25,000 premature deaths annually. In the Los Angeles region alone, where smog concentrations far surpass all other U.S. regions, the death toll is 5,000 a year.
Every year, air pollution costs federal, state, and private health insurers in California over $193 million, as millions suffer from lung cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems. In the state's south coast region, which includes Greater Los Angeles, workers miss 400,000 days of work every year, and in total air pollution costs the region’s economy $22 billion annually.
However, this dirty air does not affect all of us equally. In Southern California, black and Latino youth are two to six times more likely to die from asthma than their white counterparts. Nationwide, people of color are breathing air that contains 38 percent more nitrogen oxide pollution. So as you look around this room, you will not be surprised to see that many of the people here today come from communities of color.
At 1:30 this morning, three 50-passenger buses departed the Inland Empire in Southern California. All of the passengers are of Latin-American descent, and many of them are the sons and daughters of migrant farm workers. At 3:00 AM, two more buses departed from Los Angeles, representing diverse communities. We have individuals here from Fresno, Bakersfield, Oakland, and Richmond. They have are here to participate in today’s hearing because this is more than just a public, economic, and environmental health issue. It is also an issue of racial inequality.
Now, I know that air quality has gotten better in the United States and in California, largely thanks to the work of the EPA and other air regulators. However, we still have a long way to go before every person is breathing safe, clean air. The Clean Air Act mandates that if air protections aren’t doing enough to protect public health, then they must be strengthened. That is why the EPA has proposed that the current standard be changed from 75 ppb to a range of 65-70 ppb.
That's a great step in the right direction but, according to a committee of EPA science advisors, it is not enough. They recommended a 60-ppb standard to adequately protect our health. I, along with many others in this room, stand by that scientific assessment. This level would result in enormous benefits nationwide, save hundreds of lives, millions of dollars, and reduce the toll from smog-related diseases. Will it be easy? No. But is it achievable? Absolutely.
A stronger standard will also lead to greater deployment of clean energy and electric vehicles, which in turn will create jobs, further reduce air pollution, and grow the tax base. Expanding our clean energy economy will create significant job growth in California and across the nation.
I understand that change is hard, but it is also necessary. We owe it to the thousands of people whose lives and health are at stake not to settle for less than the best we can achieve. If the science and the statistics are not sufficiently persuasive, then listen to the stories of any of the hundreds of people who have come here today. It is time to move forward to a future where no matter what community you come from, no matter what you look like, no matter who you are, you will be free to breathe clean air.