My daughter and I have asthma. Stricter auto pollution standards are a breath of relief. | Opinion

In Philly, I can walk pretty much everywhere. I haven’t owned a car in 20 years and I don’t miss having one. But my mobility, even on foot, is constrained by the fact that I have asthma. When there is a heat wave or an ozone warning, I have to limit my time outside. I check my phone for the latest air quality alert, scan my list to see if I’m planning on buying anything heavy, and then decide whether it’s safe to get groceries.

Every mother hopes for something better for her children, and I had hoped my daughter would be spared. But my 13-year-old has asthma, too. We share this disease with more than 25 million Americans. It is painful to watch her spend weeks recovering from a mild cold or to hear her say that she was afraid to run with her friends at school because she didn’t want to trigger an asthma attack.

My daughter is not alone; 21% of children in Philadelphia have asthma, which is more than double the national rate. Philadelphia recently received an “F” for air quality from the American Lung Association because our air is so unhealthy. And this air pollution is not equitably distributed — nationwide, people of color are over three times more likely to be breathing the most polluted air than white people. Black and Latino children in Philadelphia are hospitalized for asthma at roughly five times the rate of their white peers.

Traffic is a major source of the air pollution that makes it hard for me and my daughter to breathe. It also is the nation’s largest source of climate-warming carbon pollution, increasing heat waves that also leave us gasping for breath. This week, I can breathe a little easier after hearing that the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency is restoring a key tool for states to address air pollution from the transportation sector.

For more than 50 years, states — following California’s lead — have had the authority under the Clean Air Act to protect their residents’ health by enacting tailpipe emissions standards for cars that are safer than the federal rules. But in 2019, the Trump administration withdrew the waiver under the Clean Air Act that allowed states to set stronger emissions standards.

With the Biden administration’s reinstatement of the California waiver, states including Pennsylvania can now set vehicle pollution standards for cars and light trucks that are more stringent than federal regulations. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia — representing over 120 million people and more than one-third of the automotive market — once again have the authority to reduce air pollution from vehicles the way they see fit.

This isn’t just about people who drive cars — it’s about everyone who breathes air. The news is especially good for families living in congested areas with vehicle pollution that threatens their lives and health. That’s every resident of Philadelphia, plus millions of others. More than four in 10 Americans, or around 135 million people, live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution.

“Traffic is a major source of the air pollution that makes it hard for me and my daughter to breathe.”

Reinstating states’ legal authority to set more stringent auto pollution rules is a good first step, but the EPA needs to do more to protect families from traffic pollution. Now that the California standard is reinstated, the EPA must set longer-term protections against tailpipe pollution for 2027 model cars and beyond.

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In addition to cleaning up the air and reducing climate change, setting stronger vehicle standards will create jobs in the automotive industry and ensure that American cars are competitive in the global market.

Another benefit is that U.S. households will spend less money at the gas pump. Right now, gas prices are at record highs, and many of the lowest-income households spend nearly one-fifth of their income on gas. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can create a better future for ourselves and our children.

Putting the brakes on tailpipe pollution is just the start.

Brooke Petry is a mother, South Philadelphia resident, and field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force Pennsylvania.