Have you noticed all those semi-trucks on our highways, container ships in our ports, and rail cars on our train tracks? These vehicles are transporting everything from food and electronics to clothing and building materials across California. But, because they rely on diesel fuel, they are also producing a lot of pollution, which causes thousands of people to get sick every year—with asthma or bronchitis, for example—leading many to miss work or school, or even die prematurely.
RAMP is advocating for the modernization of California’s freight system with advanced technologies and better use of existing technologies and fuels. Working with a coalition of community-based, environmental, and public health organizations, we are asking asthma advocates to sign a petition urging Governor Jerry Brown to take bold steps to clean up California’s freight transportation system.
The air across California is cleaner than it once was, but there are still too many communities where it is unhealthy. Meanwhile, global warming emissions from freight vehicles are expected to grow in the coming decades without stronger action. Fortunately, technologies that dramatically reduce pollution and improve efficiency present an opportunity to transform today’s conventional freight vehicles into a low-carbon transportation system that cleans our air and reduces greenhouse gases. Please add your name to this petition to show your support for healthy air.