Climate Action Cottage Grove Action Alert: Comments needed ASAP on proposed EPA standards for heavy duty vehicles (HDV's)

[SCG Sustainable Cottage Grove]

IMPORTANT ACTION ALERT FROM CLIMATE ACTION COTTAGE GROVE

Please take action soon — Comments needed by May 13th

Please see the important action alert below that is of vital importance in the climate struggle — to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

The proposed new rule for Heavy Duty Vehicles (HDV)s is grossly inadequate.  If enacted as drafted, the new rule would only reduce greenhouse gases by a mere 1%.

Much, much more aggressive standards are needed — a rapid transition to zero-emission electric trucks, and that shift needs to begin now.

Some key points:

• Air pollution from trucks is a major public health problem. According to EPA, more than 45 million people in the U.S. live within 300 feet of a major roadway or transportation facility, and 72 million people live within 200 meters of a truck freight route. People of color and those with lower incomes are more likely to live near truck routes. 
  
  
• The largest source of climate pollution in the US is the transportation sector, responsible for 29% of all climate pollution. Within the transportation sector, heavy-duty vehicles are the second-largest contributor, at 23% (the largest contributor is passenger vehicles).
  
  
• The trucks covered by this rule will be on the road for decades, so these vehicles must be cleaned up as soon as possible. 
  
  
• EPA must enact standards that put the American truck and bus fleet on a clear roadway to 100% zero-emission sales by 2035.  
  

There are many more good points in the excellent testimony by Bob Yuhnke and Lise Colgan that is attached to this email.  Please feel free to use their work liberally.

Please make your case as strong as you can, but do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.  Sending in a short statement demanding much more aggressive rules requiring a rapid shift to zero-emission electric heavy duty trucks would be much better than not sending in a comment.

Thank you.

------------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Lise Colgan <Liseint...@msn.com>
Date: Mon, May 2, 2022 at 10:18 AM
Subject: Comments on proposed EPA standards for heavy duty vehicles (HDV's)

Good morning,

As promised some time ago, please find attached two documents:  1) a summary of the science/data behind Bob Yuhnke's comments to the EPA on this proposed rule, and 2) the comment I submitted to the EPA.  

PLEASE SUBMIT A COMMENT AND URGE YOUR NETWORKS TO SUBMIT COMMENTS before May 13th.  The EPA extended the time for written comments and we must try to flood them with comments supporting more rigorous standards than the proposed rule provides.  This single rule could save more than a billion metric tons of GHG's being released into the atmosphere; but in its current state, it achieves less than 1% of that goal.  

You are welcome to freely plagiarize either/both Bob's and/or my comments, although you might want to change the first sentence of mine, if you're not a grandmother!  

Below is the direct link to the Regulations.gov comment form where you can either cut and paste your comment, or attach it as a file.  You will lose formatting in the cut and paste option.  Please be aware that all comments are public records; therefore, you may not wish to submit identifying information such as your full name, address, phone number, etc.  Read the privacy policy of Regulations.gov, if in doubt.

Thank you!

Here's the link:  https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OAR-2019-0055-0983