We all know diesel is bad for us. Studies show that this pollution can lead to asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and can worsen existing heart and lung disease, too.
Yet some communities can't seem to catch a break - especially communities living near warehouses.Warehouses have sprung up across the United States, and they are having a terrible impact on the local environment and people's health. Right now, 15 million Americans live within half of a mile from a warehouses in 10 different states. And warehouses always mean at least one thing: more diesel trucks.
Exposure to diesel exhaust can have scary health implications for those nearby communities. But it doesn't have to be this way. Switching to zero-emission trucks could help keep warehouses clean and protect the people who live near them!
Sign now to demand that all U.S. states adopt policies like the Advanced Clean Truck program to protect communities from dangerous diesel pollution!Zero-emission truck requirements are especially important because warehouses tend to exist in poor neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color. This means that wealthy folks - and especially wealthy white people - tend to be able to avoid the negative health impacts of warehouses and supply trucks, which provide goods we all use. This is a
clear injustice, and we should be working to reduce truck emissions as soon as possible.
Luckily, U.S. states are beginning to take action to curb this pollution problem.
Seven states, including California and New Jersey, have passed the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule. This rule requires truck manufacturers to sell zero-emission trucks, and to gradually switch over all trucks they sell to become zero-emissions.
If all trucks on the road - or even some! - were fossil fuel-free, that would be a huge boon for children, families, and neighborhoods located near warehouses all across the U.S.
The future is green and electric - not polluted and toxic. It's time state lawmakers stop dragging their feet. Sign the petition now if you agree that all states should be making trucks cleaner!