Columbia community leaders demand Washington leaders maintain EPA and DOT clean car standards

The Columbia community gathered to call on leaders in Washington to maintain the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation’s clean car standards and protect the health of South Carolinians.

At a press conference on Tuesday, speakers, who included concerned mothers, a University of South Carolina student, representatives from the public transportation agency, The COMET, and the Columbia branch of AAA, and a former environmental engineer in the automotive industry, urged elected officials to continue moving forward with these important standards and called on South Carolina’s senators to protect public health.

“We have made great strides toward developing policies and technologies for improving air quality, said Tameria Warren, an environmental specialist with Whitetail Environmental and adjunct professor at USC. “It is important to continue these efforts to ensure our health, the environment and our economy are in good shape.”

Defending the clean cars standards could protect South Carolina’s economy. Speakers noted the standards could create 9,000 jobs for South Carolina by saving families money at the pump and pumping those savings back into the local economy. In addition, the standards have sparked valuable technological innovation in the automotive industry.

America’s clean car standards help ensure that cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs are more fuel-efficient, saving drivers money every trip to the gas station.

“Cleaner, more efficient vehicles reduce air pollution, helping prevent asthma attacks in my son Jaden and the more than 6 million children nationwide with this disease, said Shakeila James, Regional Field Director for Moms Clean Air Force. “Removing EPA and DOT clean car standards could make air pollution worse. That is unacceptable to me as a mom. My son and children everywhere deserve to play outside without fear of breathing dirty air.”

Speakers concluded by calling on Washington leaders to protect South Carolina’s public health. Cleaner, more efficient vehicles also reduce air pollution and combat climate change – helping to prevent harmful health impacts like asthma attacks and heart attacks