Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC - Today and tomorrow, over a dozen Sierra Club activists will join hundreds of other advocates in testifying during a two-day public hearing hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency. Advocates will stress the importance of finalizing an ambitious rule to strengthen federal greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards for light-duty cars and trucks, also informally known as “clean car standards.”
Testifiers include Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz, and Katherine García, the Acting Director of the Clean Transportation for All campaign, as well as chapter leaders, volunteers, elected officials, and more.
Over 9,000 Sierra Club supporters have already submitted their personal comments to the EPA on this proposed rule, urging a stronger rule. The comment deadline is September 27, 2021.
See a Sierra Club factsheet on the significance of this rulemaking here.
“This rule would be our nation’s strongest climate tool if EPA gets it right. This summer has been devastating for our communities. Our friends, family and neighbors have been on the frontlines of heatwaves, wildfires, flooding, and more,” said Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz. “I am here today to urge the EPA to set the strongest possible clean car standards to deliver real world emissions reductions that match the urgency of the climate crisis.”
“I’ve spent years advocating for stricter vehicle standards to reduce the number of unhealthy air days for residents across the country,” said Katherine García, Acting Director of the Sierra Club's Clean Transportation for All campaign. “I cannot overstate the importance of strong clean car standards for climate action, racial justice, and improving public health. I’m calling on the EPA to strengthen this proposed rule to deliver on our shared priorities.”
Background: The EPA proposed new standards earlier this month, marking the first step in addressing one of the previous administration’s worst climate rollbacks. This rulemaking has the potential to restore and strengthen one of the nation’s most effective policy tools to slash pollution from the transportation sector, the leading source of climate-disrupting pollution in the US.
However, EPA’s proposal doesn't go far enough in the emissions reductions we need, and contains loopholes that would allow auto manufacturers to continue to double down on gas guzzling vehicles. The proposal would result in much less pollution reduction than the auto industry agreed to in 2012, nearly a decade ago when President Obama issued his clean car standards.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.