Clean Air Is Not a Privilege—It Is a Basic Human Right

The Electric Vehicle Association opposes the Trump administration's proposal to rescind the scientific endangerment finding for greenhouse gases and roll back existing clean cars and trucks standards. This misguided action would inflict significant economic hardship on American families and businesses, threaten hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs, deepen our nation’s reliance on foreign oil, and severely damage the health of people in our communities.

Terri Kirsch, EVA President, shared her testimony before a U.S. EPA public hearing this week:

“I grew up in the 1960s with severe childhood asthma. From the ages of 4 to 11, my parents rushed me to the emergency room at least once a month—some months, it was weekly—because I simply could not breathe. I remember the fear in my parents’ eyes, and the gasping, terrifying struggle for air. My doctors told my parents that if they didn’t move to a place with better air quality, I would not survive. That’s how bad the pollution was.

Today, my asthma is gone. But I am here because policies like the Clean Air Act have dramatically improved the quality of the air we breathe. These protections have prevented countless emergency room visits, reduced childhood asthma, and saved lives—mine included.

We’ve all seen the evidence that clean air standards work. During the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders, when cars were suddenly off the streets, the skies cleared in just days. In India, people saw the Himalayas from hundreds of miles away for the first time in their lives. And when traffic returned, the mountains disappeared from view within three days. That was not coincidence—it was cause and effect.

The science is clear: Clean air saves lives. It improves public health, especially for children. And we know one of the biggest contributors to air pollution—and to asthma—is tailpipe emissions. When we reduce them, communities breathe easier, kids stay healthier, and fewer families endure nights in the emergency room wondering if their child will make it until morning.

I am living proof of what’s at stake. Weakening the Clean Air Act or slowing our progress on emissions standards isn’t just a policy choice—it’s a decision that will determine who gets to grow up healthy, and who might not grow up at all.

Clean air is not a privilege—it is a basic human right. And without it, I would not be standing here today.”