To: The Oregon State House, The Oregon State Senate, and Governor Kate Brown
Oregon Lawmakers: Support Clean Diesel for Clean Air!
Please support a statewide diesel standard during the 2017 legislative session to require clean diesel engines that don't cause unhealthy air pollution.
Further, please fund engine upgrades! The VW settlement is the right tool for the job. Without adequate funding, old engines will linger for too many years.
Why is this important?
Oregon's air is unhealthy and harming vulnerable Oregonians. The cause is preventable mobile and industrial pollution. The biggest and most harmful source of air pollution is dirty diesel engines. Heavy metals and other toxics stick to fine, sooty particles in diesel emissions that can make their way deep into our bodies where they can cause cancer, heart attacks, asthma attacks, stroke, infertility, and more.
Thankfully, there is a clear solution: Oregon needs a statewide diesel emissions standard (like our neighbors CA and WA have) that requires cleaner-running diesel engines. New diesel engines (built after 2007) run quite clean (with up to 95% less pollution); the problem is diesel engines last a l-o-n-g time and Oregon doesn't require the new technology. Older diesel engines contribute to 60-70% of Oregon’s particulate pollution (DEQ).
If we don't take action, Oregonians will be stuck with dirty diesel & dirty air for decades to come. Don't let that happen.Oregonians deserve to breathe clean air all the time wherever they live, work, and play.