Dear CA Air Resources Board,
I urge you to restore
California’s leadership on clean cars by accelerating the
state’s transition to 100% electric vehicles and
strengthening requirements on new gas-powered vehicles.
Climate pollution from gas-powered cars and trucks makes up 40%
of total greenhouse gas emissions in California. These vehicles are
a massive driver of the climate emergency devastating our state
with deadlier, more damaging wildfires, heat waves, and
drought.
Historically, we’ve led the nation
on setting strong auto emissions standards — but the current
clean cars proposal falls short of the climate action we need.
The IPCC reports make it quite clear that steep emissions
cuts must begin by no later than 2030 to avoid the worst of climate
change. If we don’t reach 100% zero-emission vehicle sales
until 2035, it will be too late for California to meet its goal of
carbon neutrality by 2045 since many new vehicles last 20 years or
longer. Moving that target to 2030 will give our state a
better chance of meeting its climate goals and remaining a global
leader on clean cars.
And until we reach that target in
2030, California can’t ignore the climate-damaging emissions
from new gas cars. We need to take immediate action to make sure
they emit less pollutants as they drive our roads for decades.
This action is also critical to protect the health of
communities hit hardest by tailpipe pollution. Cancer and
asthma-causing vehicle exhaust harms people's health and
particularly hurts low-income communities of color near congested
freeways, and oil refineries continue to disproportionately hurt
the health of poor, historically marginalized communities they are
in.
California must lead the way with strong policy
solutions to end tailpipe pollution and build an environmentally
just transportation system. New clean car standards must ensure
equitable access to electric vehicles.
We urge you to
adopt strong clean car rules that require:
• 100%
zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030. • 7% annual
pollution cuts from gas-powered cars in the meantime. •
Mandatory equity commitments to ensure that communities most
affected by pollution benefit from electric vehicles first and
foremost.
This transition is a tremendous opportunity to
create family-supporting, high-road jobs for Californians. We urge
you to seize this moment and adopt nation-leading clean car
standards that slash climate pollution, ensure equity, and promote
good jobs.
Sincerely,
Sincerely, Curtis
Sera San Francisco, CA 94122
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