Comment Log Display

Dear California Air Resources Board, 

What better way to try and reverse the damage done by their
emissions? You could also invest the settlement to plant more trees
in cities, which will cool communities, shade homes which reduces
need for air conditioning, increase habitats, and scrub pollution
out of the air.  More trees also add to a neighborhood's
desirability and beauty.  In Burbank, East San Jose Avenue is
literally 10 degrees cooler than one street over, and the homes
there use far less AC.
I'm writing to urge you to spend the approximately $400 million in
funds covered by Appendix D in the Volkwagen settlement on projects
that will increase the use of zero-emission vehicles and
technologies in the heavy-duty sector.

The funds provide a perfect opportunity to rapidly advance,
commercialize, and deploy non-polluting vehicles that are
independent of carbon or methane fuels. That includes electric
drayage trucks, electric transit buses, and electric school buses.
To spend this money on anything other than zero-emission vehicles
would mean exposing communities that are most burdened by
heavy-duty sector vehicles and activities to more pollution than
necessary. 

The settlement funds present a unique opportunity to eliminate
decades of air pollution hotspots. In the programs you support with
these funds, I urge you to prioritize environmental justice and the
communities hit hardest by air pollution. 

The California Air Resources Board should not use the funding for
natural gas, propane, or diesel vehicles. Further dependence on
fossil fuels only means more pollution, and only a transition to
electric vehicles and investing in electric vehicle infrastructure
will make it possible to have a transportation sector that is
eventually 100% clean. 

Sincerely, 

Karina Walsh