In the middle of a public health crisis that attacks respiratory function, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced another attack on our lungs with his final rollback of America’s clean car standards. These critical standards have protected the health and wallets of families in Utah and throughout the country by reducing tailpipe pollution and saving drivers money at the pump.
Now, this dangerous rollback will foul our air and make us more vulnerable to respiratory problems at a time when more than 100,000 Americans have already tragically lost their lives due to this pandemic. Recent studies have demonstrated that increased air pollution makes COVID-19 more deadly and disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities and communities of color that have been affected by decades of inequity, environmental injustice and unequal access to health care.
Last year, as co-chairs of the Clean Air Caucus in the Utah House of Representatives, we spoke out against this misguided proposal, fearing it would impact our ability to protect Utah’s health and economy, as well limit the ability of our state to decide what is best for its residents. With the ongoing pandemic, we again are speaking out against Wheeler’s decision to finalize the rollback of this vital public health protection, which harms our state at the worst possible time.
In Utah, the fight for clean air is an ongoing battle. The Salt Lake City metropolitan area struggles with some of the worst ozone pollution in the nation, ranking 11th among other cities. Everyone should be able to breathe clean air, but for the over 51,000 children and 200,000 adults who suffer from asthma in our state, this rollback threatens that basic right.
While climate change continues to make air pollution worse, we need to be using every tool at our disposal to improve air quality. The transportation sector is our nation’s largest source of carbon pollution, and America’s clean car standards are one of the best tools we have at our disposal to address climate change and to clean up our air.
These standards also protect Utah’s economy. By 2030, our state could expect to add almost 5,000 new jobs if clean car standards had been allowed to remain in place. However, rolling them will cost nearly every state (45 of 50) at least $1 billion in net consumer losses, with Utahns standing to lose $2.5 billion.
As members of the Utah House of Representatives, we will continue to fight for our state and its right to clean air. But this rollback also attacks the authority of all states, established under the Clean Air Act, to adopt stronger tailpipe pollution standards than those set by the federal government to protect their residents from health-harming vehicle pollution.
Unfortunately, Attorney General Sean Reyes is not standing with Utahns when it comes to supporting state authority and the clean car standards, instead spending taxpayer dollars as part of a lawsuit to undermine them. Utah should always have the right to exercise this authority and protect its own residents.
Thankfully, Rep. Ben McAdams and Sen. Mitt Romney have stood up for the health of all families by speaking out against rolling back clean car standards. Just like us, they are showing that the fight for clean air is not a partisan issue. Particularly as our nation battles this sinister respiratory virus, we must come together to protect safeguards that reduce pollution, not roll them back.
We once again urge all of Utah’s leaders to stand with us – now, more than ever. The lives of Utahns depend on it.
Rep. Stephen G. Handy
Rep. Suzanne Harrison
State Reps. Stephen Handy, R-Layton, and Suzanne Harrison, D-Draper, are co-chairs of the Clean Air Caucus in the Utah House of Representatives.
