Alexa Aispuro Loaiza, Chispa National Digital Campaigns and Creative Manager

Hello and thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify on the need for clean Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles. My name is Alexa Aispuro Loaiza I am Chispa National Digital campaigns and creative manager and I am here today as a community member who lives in a highly polluted neighborhood in the city of Las Vegas.

While I appreciate this administration for moving quickly on clean cars, I urge the EPA to set the strongest standards for transportation.

 Here in Nevada, these standards will provide much-needed relief from the burden of diesel fumes, climate impacts, and air pollution. Once again, the American lung association has given us a FAILING grade when it comes to the air that we breathe.

Due to the proximity to highly polluted areas, toxic air is affecting our kids who walk to school every day or have to ride dirty school buses, our outdoor workers, and all of our low-income and communities of color.

We have youth and other community leaders monitoring the air quality in our neighborhoods. We see firsthand how deadly it is to be breathing it and how many illnesses we can develop, not even keeping in mind the economic side of getting sick as well as the mental health aspect of having so many issues and very few resources and support to keep on going.

Once again, I urge this administration to set the strongest standards possible because our communities deserve better- These standards will help protect communities from years of disproportionate negative impacts from air pollution and illnesses that come with it.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

DJ Portugal, Chispa Arizona Federal Climate Organizer

Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is DJ Portugal and I am here today as a private citizen.

I am a community organizer with Chispa Arizona and a father of 4 beautiful children, and I am also advocating on their behalf. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and unfortunately some of my earliest memories, are of me sitting in front of a fan in the middle of the night struggling for air through difficult asthma attacks. I will never forget the exhaustion I would feel the following day at school, headaches and a chest, sore from gasping the night before. As it has already been cited here several times, I again want to echo and stress the connection between asthma and high pollution areas. I vividly remember the smell of exhaust on my walk to school, crossing over the freeway overpass, even in second grade I remember feeling the air pollution was a personal attack, and I remember feeling helpless, thinking there was nothing I would ever be able to do about it.

As our country and state work to recover from the losses we have all experienced during the pandemic, I worry that the economic growth and recovery will bring with it, long lasting environmental and health impacts.

According to the EPA’s own analysis, the transportation sector accounts for 27% of greenhouse gas emissions—more than any other sector in the US—and is the fastest growing emitter of GHG emissions.

The transportation sector accounts for more than 55% of NOx emissions in the U.S.; tailpipe pollution contains toxic and harmful compounds that pollute air quality and harm public health.

Low income and communities of color are most impacted by air pollution. With every breath they take, children and families of color are getting sicker in polluted neighborhoods. Stronger standards would help address centuries of environmental racism.

And because the government played a significant role in creating these harmful conditions, through practices like redlining, it has a moral obligation to remedy these injustices.

Once again, lower tailpipe emissions and a transition to zero-emission vehicles is a win for the American people and all those looking to protect public health and spur job creation, economic growth, and family cost savings.

For the health of our community and future generations, we call on the EPA to work towards the strongest standards for light and medium duty vehicles.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.”

Gloria Guardado, Chispa Nevada Volunteer

Mi nombre es Gloria Guardado, y soy voluntaria de Chispa Nevada, Nuestra organizacion trabaja con las comunidades latinas en el sur de Nevada para proteger el derecho de nuestras familias a aire y agua limpios, vecindarios saludables y un clima seguro para las generaciones venideras.

Me gustaría comentar que soy madre de una hija de seis años de edad, y que como toda madre busca el bienestar de su familia. En nuestro caso en particular, me siento sumamente preocupada por los serios problemas medioambientales que estamos pasando en el estado de Nevada.

Desafortunadamente, en el ultimo reporte del 2023, De acuerdo con la Asociación Nacional del Pulmón, obtuvimos una letra “F”  para su Informe sobre el Estado del Aire, y la ciudad de Las Vegas, además, ocupa el puesto # 12 en todo el país como una de las ciudades más contaminadas.

De a cuerdo a todo esto me pregunto ¿que clase de aire vamos a dejar a las futuras generaciones?, Me pregunto si mi hija va a tener el derecho fundamental a respirar un aire limpio?.

Como todos sabemos, La contaminación climática y provenientes de los camiones de carga es una gran amenaza para la salud pública. Felicitamos al presidente Biden y al administrador de la EPA Regan por reconocer la necesidad urgente de reducir esta peligrosa contaminación. 

Debido a esto, La EPA necesita moverse rápidamente y finalizar los estándares de camiones más limpios posibles para abordar la crisis climática para fin de año.

Los estándares deben exigir límites más estrictos para los vehículos diésel en general, de modo que hagamos que los camiones diésel sean cada vez más limpios a medida que los fabricantes hacen la transición a vehículos sin contaminación.  

 Así que urgimos a esta agencia para que se trabaje sobre la norma HDV de la EPA reduzca la contaminación letal por NOx en un 90 % para 2027 y ponernos en un camino despejado hacia nuevos camiones y autobuses 100 % eléctricos y sin emisiones para 2035. Y que las actualizaciones que se hagan sobre las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero sean pensando en el beneficio que estas van a traer a las comunidades de color.

 Gracias por escuchar a nuestra comunidad.