Statem e nt of Brian Urbaszew ski Director, Environmental H ea lth Program s Respirato ry Hea lth Association Augu s t 6, 2015
RE: Regardin g Phase 2 Greenhou s e Gas Emi ssi ons Stand a rd s a nd Fuel Effici e ncy Sta ndards for Medium- and Heavy- Duty Engines and Ve hicl es
Thank you for the opportunity to make a statement today. My Name is Brian Urbaszewski, and I work for Respiratory Health Association. Founded in 1906 in Chicago, we work to prevent lung disease and promote lung health through research, advocacy, and education.
We are thankful fo r the immense progress made in clea nin g up diesel engin es in recent yea rs d ue to EPA's actions. Huge cuts in tailpipe pollution from new heavy-duty d iese l vehicles and diesel equipment have been achieved, which are now delivering improved human health every year. Tailpipe derived PM2.5 triggers asthma attacks and heart attacks, and drives increases in emergency room visits, hospitalizations and premature deaths. Eliminating those emissions, as well as slashing ozone-forming and toxic air pollution, has reduced health risks and in fact saved lives. So, thank you on behalf of the ove r one million Illinois residents living with lung disease.
Yet even with cleaner new engines, and our continued use of EPA and DOT funds to accelerate the clean-up of emissions from long

-lived diesel engines that pre-date EPA' s stringent standards, new challenges have arisen. It's become increasingly clear that global warming is a health threat, particularly to people living w ith lung disease. Increasing heat waves put peop le with limited lung capacity at higher risk of hosp italizatio n and death. Longe r hotter summers extend the ozone smog season and increase the likelihood of unhealthy air days, cutting the gains we have made in reducing ozone precursors. More flooding means more displacement of medically vulnerable people and hinders access to medical care. More allergenic pollen means greater risks for those with allergy-triggered asthma , and misery for those with allergies like hay fever. Higher temps and greater droughts also increase the prevalen ce of wildfires, creating smoke plumes that travel hundreds of miles, po lluting the air where millions of people live

. In fact, in 201 1 a wildfire on the Canadian border triggered air quality al erts here in Chicago

. Last month , Canadian fires triggered "unhealthy" code red air quality alerts as fa r south as Missouri. The increasing effects of global warming are al ready having a direct impact on people's ability to breathe. It's putting vulnerable groups at most risk, including babies and children , senior citizens, and those that live with chronic lung and heart conditions. Every barrel of oil burned means more ca rbon dioxide in the atmosph ere, further in creas in g global warming

. Reducing fuel consumption through greater efficiencies and th rough the development of nonfossil fuel technologies that eliminate carbon emissions are needed to address these health threats. For these reasons, we believe strong EPA greenhouse gas tailpipe standards are necessary. While we strongly support the direction of proposed EPA climate rules for new trucks, we also believe the proposed standa rds should be strengthened and that EPA should increase its goa l to achieve 40 percent fuel savings by 2025. Th e Agency can further increase the $37B in health and welfare benefits the proposed rule would bring. The ability to gain additional reductions is the re. The Agency should go beyond its very conservative approach to capture additional fuel reductions, a strategy we believe will benefit public health for many years to come. Again, thank you for the time and opportunity to speak on this issue here today.