Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
CARSON CITY, NEVADA – Today, Nevada’s Legislative Commission approved adoption of the Clean Cars Nevada program, completing the final step in a process to adopt new standards that will help curb emissions from the state’s cars and light-duty trucks, making Nevada the 16th territory (including DC) to adopt these climate regulations.
Nevada’s Clean Cars program will require new cars sold in the state to emit less harmful climate pollution, as well as increase the availability and number of zero-emission vehicles purchased in the state.
In addition to contributing to the climate crisis, cars and trucks on Nevada roads are a significant source of toxic air pollution, which disproportionately impacts low-income neighborhoods and communities of color who live closest to highways and high-traffic corridors due to decades of redlining.
The Las Vegas and Reno metropolitan areas are listed on the top 25 cities most polluted by short-term particulate matter. People exposed to particle pollution are at greater risk of going to the hospital or emergency room more often, missing school and work, and being unable to go outside, especially for those with pre-existing heart or lung diseases, and vulnerable populations like the elderly and children. Increased use of electric vehicles will help curb these toxic emissions.
Nevada is also on the front lines of the climate crisis with two of the fastest warming cities, Las Vegas and Reno, in the nation. Each year, extreme heat events — a series of unusually hot days — happen more frequently and for longer in Nevada. Heat is the single deadliest climate-related disaster in our nation, and these heat waves are a direct threat to the safety and security of all Nevadans, especially our most vulnerable populations like construction workers who work outside for long periods of time and those experiencing homelessness.
In response to Nevada officially becoming a clean car state today, Jasmine Vazin, a conservation organizer with the Sierra Club’s Toiyabe Chapter, released the following statement:
“Today, I am celebrating the strength of the Nevada Clean Cars coalition that pushed for this important policy, which will help our state address its worst polluting sector.
“As an organizer that works on addressing transportation pollution in Nevada, I have seen the impacts of climate change on the ground. I’ve worked with parents whose children are suffering from severe asthma made worse by poor air quality, public transit riders who have to stand at unshaded bus stops in 115-degree heat to get to work or to buy groceries, and families who have lived through record-breaking heat waves in Las Vegas. The impacts of the climate crisis are being felt by communities across Nevada right now.
“Nevada becoming the latest clean car state is a vital opportunity for climate action and clean air. We thank the Legislative Commission for voting this life-saving policy across the finish line.”
Background: The Clean Cars Nevada coalition, made up of a diverse group of environmental, science and public health advocates, labor representatives, community organizations, local governments, business leaders, consumer groups, and others, has spent the past year engaging in public workshops and hearings, building wide-ranging support for the popular program.
###
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of 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.