Hello, my name is Amy, I am a resident of Colton, California,
and I’m speaking on the CARB SCOPING PLAN.
This Scoping Plan is important to me and my community because
our family members are navigating through life with severe cases of
asthma and alergies. My 67 year old mother has suffered with asthma
all of her life, along with my brother, two sisters, and now my 2
year old and 6 year old nephews.
I live in Colton part of the Inland Empire, and the air quality
affects me and my family in these ways, bad air quality, extreme
heat, Industry is invading our neighborhood's right next door to
homes and schools. My nephews spend many of their days takong puffs
from their inhalers or hooked up to their asthma treatment machines
because they are having a hard time breathing. The issue has gotten
so severe that we visit the local urgent care so often that they
already know when my sister steps in with my nephews that they are
having issues with their breathing. CARB needs to create more
ambitious plans to stop the environmental injustices ongoing in our
state and prevent the worst impacts of climate catastrophe
In our rapidly deteriorating climate, CARB wants to keep using
fossil fuels, which harms the lungs and health of my family and my
overall community.
Every part of the state’s fossil fuel chain
disproportionately affects the health and well-being of working
class people of color in California especially those of us living
in the Inland Empire.
We need CARB to create the road to zero emissions for the health
of both our people and our planet.
In the CARB Scoping Plan, I am asking the Board to make a plan
for a full phaseout of fossil fuels by 2045. We must end oil
extraction by 2035, phase out oil refining by 2045, phase out gas
fired power plants by 2035, eliminate gas appliances by 2030, and
decommission the gas distribution system by 2045. More clean cars,
trucks, and mass transit for working class Californians. Transition
to 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2035 and lower the amount of
vehicle miles traveled by 30% by 2035. A transition to clean,
renewable, zero-emissions electricity by 2035 with retirement of
all gas plants and no new gas plants.
Minimize reliance on carbon capture and storage and other
climate dead ends.
Again, this is extremely important because our climate and
communities can’t wait any longer. It’s inexcusable
that CARB is catering to the fossil fuel industry while sacrificing
communities!
Solutions for a renewable future are here! We need to invest in
these alternatives before spending any money on other harmful fuels
or unproven technologies!
Frontline, EJ communities have a right to clean air and healthy
lungs. Please make the health of our communities your top priority
by making these changes to the Scoping Plan.
The decisions that the California Air Resources Board makes now
will determine whether we have a safe and healthy future for all
Californians.