FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2023
CONTACT:
Steven Fantes, Public Affairs Manager
617-817-1297 and steven.fantes@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org
Former EPA Air Quality Experts Respond to EPA’s Proposed Rules to Reduce Emissions from Light- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Today, EPA proposed new standards for greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, and particulate matter from light-duty vehicles and new cleaner truck standards to cut climate pollution from trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty vehicles.
In reaction, Margo Oge and Jeff Alson, volunteers with the Environmental Protection Network and former senior leaders in EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Office of Air and Radiation, released the following statements:
“The ambitious EPA proposals will likely be the administration’s most significant regulatory action to combat climate change and last chance to lock in rapid decarbonization gains before the end of its term, building upon significant policy wins with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that put electric vehicles in the fast lane.” – Margo Oge
“I applaud the EPA and White House for proposing aggressive car and SUV emissions standards that, when finalized, will be the most important U.S. action yet to protect the planet from the climate crisis and will save lives due to lower urban pollution levels. These standards will provide a critical level playing field for those automakers who want to be climate leaders by requiring competitors, who might otherwise milk profits from their obsolete fossil-fueled vehicles, to likewise invest in electric vehicles. Complementing the electric vehicle tax credits passed by Congress last year, the federal government is now speaking with one voice, and consumers will soon have hundreds of choices of electric vehicle options that are cheaper to buy, fuel, and maintain while helping to save the planet for their children and grandchildren.” – Jeff Alson
Margo Oge and Jeff Alson are available to speak to the media about EPA’s proposed emission standards for light and heavy-duty vehicles and their effects on public health and the environment.
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About Margo Oge: Margo Oge worked for EPA for 32 years and was the Director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality from 1994-2012. During her tenure, she was the chief architect of some of the most important achievements in reducing air pollution from the transportation sector. She is a ClimateWorks Distinguished Fellow, the Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Council for Clean Transportation, and a volunteer with the Environmental Protection Network.
About Jeff Alson: Jeff Alson worked for EPA for 40 years and was the Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor for EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. Jeff is a volunteer with the Environmental Protection Network.
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Founded in 2017, the Environmental Protection Network (EPN) harnesses the expertise of more than 550 former EPA career staff and confirmation-level appointees from Democratic and Republican administrations to provide the unique perspective of former regulators with decades of historical knowledge and subject matter expertise.