For forty years, the Clean Air Act has given the Environmental Protection Agency the right to protect public health and regulate air pollution. As a result, they have prevented over 400,000 premature deaths and hundreds of millions of cases of respiratory illnesses, such as asthma. Currently, the EPA is updating its safeguards for fuel efficiency and global warming emissions standards for vehicles sold between 2017 and 2025.

Polluters and their allies in Congress have been working to weaken the clean air standards that protect our families and our environment, proposing rollbacks that would have a devastating impact on our health and economy. This winter the Will Steger Foundation is working with a coalition of advocacy groups at the state and federal level to stop attacks on the Clean Air Act.

Background

The Clean Air Act is literally a lifesaver. Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1970 and it is one of the most successful environmental laws anywhere in the world. Here is a link to the Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act.

Hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, millions of asthma attacks, tens of millions of child respiratory illnesses have been prevented as a result of the Clean Air act. These health benefits are good for the American economy. The Clean Air Act has delivered $30 in measurable health and economic benefits for every $1 invested.

Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards Program is a joint final rule with the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Safety Administration. It establishes a national program consisting of new standards for model year 2012 through 2016 light-duty vehicles that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy. These standards would save consumers billions of dollars at the gas pump, prevent millions of tons of global warming emissions, and save as much oil in 2030 alone as we currently import from Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Automakers have the technology to make all new cars, trucks, and SUVs cleaner, but polluters are working to weaken the standards with loopholes that could increase pollution and oil dependence.

Take Action!

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) are currently accepting public comments on the proposed standards. Take Action!