Op-Ed: Clean Cars standards benefit rural New Mexicans
We need to take action, and that starts with supporting the state’s clean vehicles initiative in November 13-15 public hearings held by the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board and Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board.
Transportation pollution ranks second highest in the state behind pollution from the extraction and production of oil and gas.
This pollution fuels climate change and extreme heat and devastation from wildfires, as well as rising ozone levels—which are high in San Juan County—that exacerbate respiratory diseases, asthma and premature mortality, especially among vulnerable New Mexicans, children, older people and those living near transportation corridors.
And while some might think clean vehicle standards are just for big cities, the benefits extend well into rural areas like the four corners of our state, including the Farmington area.