Weaker EPA Car Emissions Rule Puts Americans’ Health at Risk
Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service – NC
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a new rule that allows automakers to reduce car emissions by just 1.5% through 2026, down from the 5% requirement mandated by the Obama administration.
June Deen, who directs advocacy for the American Lung Association in North Carolina, says the science shows air pollution wreaks havoc on the lungs, and adds the weaker emissions standards put more people at risk.
“For example, ozone is a respiratory irritant,” she points out. “It’s a gas, and exposure is somewhat like getting a sunburn on your lung.
“That kind of irritation for someone who already may be predisposed to a respiratory problem, exacerbates their condition.”
A report by the Environmental Defense Fund found that by 2040, under the new rule, U.S. consumers will use 142 billion more gallons of gasoline, and increase carbon emissions by an additional 1.5 billion tons.
Dave Cooke, senior vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, says the move, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, is egregious.
“Why are they even messing with this policy in the first place?” he questions. “This is the strongest climate policy in effect today and it’s working to deliver cleaner vehicles that cut fuel use and emissions.
“Ending it now is a choice to accelerate climate change, furthering one global catastrophe in the middle of another.”
More than two-thirds of Americans support the Obama-era clean car standards, according to a 2018 American Lung Association poll.
