November 5, 2013 

The Honorable Gina McCarthy 

Administrator 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

William Jefferson Clinton Building 

Mail Code 1101A 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. 

Washington, DC 20460 

Dear Administrator McCarthy: 

We applaud the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for proposing strong “Tier 3” clean 

vehicle and fuel standards, which will make our air cleaner to breathe and save lives. We are 

writing to strongly urge you to finalize these critical standards as soon as possible, in order to 

maximize the economic, public health and air quality benefits that these standards deliver. 

Recent reports in the media have suggested EPA may not finalize Tier 3 standards by the end of 

2013, a possibility made more real by the government shutdown. Failing to finalize these 

standards by the end of the year could unnecessarily expose Americans to health risks and 

health-related costs. 

The health benefits associated with the Tier 3 proposal are well established. By reducing the 

sulfur content of gasoline and tailpipe pollution, the proposed standards would prevent up to 

2,400 premature deaths, 3,200 hospital visits and 22,000 asthma attacks annually by 2030. 

Further, the standards would prevent 1.8 million lost school and workdays. 

The proposed Tier 3 standards will dramatically reduce emissions of ozone-forming pollution, 

which exacts a substantial toll on our public health and our environment, including our national 

parks and other public lands. Compared to existing standards for new vehicles, the proposed 

standards would cut fleet-wide emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds by 

80 percent. Further, Tier 3 standards would reduce per-vehicle particulate matter by 70 percent. 

These emissions reductions are critical for states to meet health-based air quality standards under 

the Clean Air Act. 

In addition to significant health benefits, Tier 3 will also realize economic benefits. According 

to a study by Navigant Economics, Tier 3 will create over 24,000 new jobs over three years for 

pollution control equipment installation at the nation’s refineries. Another nearly 5,300 jobs will 

be created by the operation and maintenance of this new equipment. 

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 proposal will significantly reduce vehicle 

pollution and make our air cleaner to breathe. But these benefits are only achieved once the 

standard is finalized and implemented. EPA’s job is not yet done. The agency must finalize Tier 

3 standards as soon as possible and prevent delays of the substantial economic, health and 

environmental benefits that will come from their implementation. 
Sincerely, 

John Judge 

CEO 

Appalachian Mountain Club 

David Foster 

Executive Director 

Blue Green Alliance 

Kieran Suckling 

Executive Director 

Center for Biological Diversity 

Frank O’Donnell 

President 

Clean Air Watch 

Robert Wendelgass 

President 

Clean Water Action 

Kathleen Rogers 

President 

Earth Day Network 

Margie Alt 

Executive Director 

Environment America 

Fred Krupp 

President 

Environmental Defense Fund 

Howard Learner 

President & Executive Director 

Environmental Law and Policy Center 

Gene Karpinski 

President 

League of Conservation Voters 

Dominique Browning 

Senior Director 

Moms Clean Air Force 

Theresa Pierno 

Acting President 

National Parks and Conservation 

Association 

Frances Beinecke 

President 

Natural Resources Defense Council 

Dan Becker 

Director 

Safe Climate Campaign 

Michael Brune 

Executive Director 

Sierra Club 

Stephen A. Smith, DVM 

Executive Director 

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy 

Kathleen Rest 

Executive Director 

Union of Concerned Scientists 

Peggy M. Shepard 

Executive Director 

WE ACT for Environmental Justice