By Bertha Lewis
In New York City, our air is mired in inequality. This is a crisis that demands immediate and decisive action. For too long, communities of color have been suffocating under a cloud of vehicular pollution, inhaling 66% more pollutants than their white counterparts. Every day, children, the elderly, and families in communities of color are exposed to air that exacerbates asthma and lung conditions and even contributes to premature mortality.
This is not just an environmental issue; it’s a stark matter of racial justice and public health.
Amidst this dire situation, the Black Institute has emerged with a clarion call for transformative change. In partnership with the Clean Fuels NY Coalition, we are championing a future where clean air is a right, not a privilege. We can help realize this vision by passing a clean fuel standard in New York State.
A clean fuel standard program would incentivize cleaner, low-carbon fuels and electric vehicles while disincentivizing highly polluting petroleum fuels. It would help combustion engine vehicles currently on our roads switch to renewable fuels now while also creating a revenue source (funded by refiners and producers of high-carbon fossil fuels) that would help communities of color get the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed, so they aren’t left behind in the transition to electric cars. The current proposal would dedicate at least 40% of the program to communities of color.
There is momentum for a clean fuel standard this year. The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus has called on legislature to include the program in the State’s budget for 2024, and the State Senate passed a bill that would implement it last June. This month, Governor Hochul’s State of the State included a call to study the issue.
It’s time to move past studies and pass legislation. We know from states that have the program already that it works, especially in communities of color that have lived with disproportionate levels of air pollution for decades. In California, which has had a clean fuel standard program since 2013, particulate soot pollution has decreased three times as fast in communities with high levels of diesel pollution than in communities with less air pollution risk. That’s excellent news for asthmatic children in Los Angeles. Our kids deserve the same relief. Their program is a key reason California has more than ten times as many electric cars as New York. Passing the Clean Fuel Standard bill this year would be a bold stride towards a future where the air in every neighborhood is safe to breathe.
Last November, Mayor Eric Adams announced his initiative to transition NYC’s heavy-duty vehicle fleet to renewable diesel. This step will remove the City’s truck fleet entirely from fossil fuels and reduce harmful soot pollution from these trucks by roughly 30%. This is a step forward, but let’s be clear: it’s not the systemic change we need to fully confront the disproportionate air quality impacts faced by communities of color every day.
Our ongoing air pollution and public health crises require bold, sweeping action that cleans up today’s diesel trucks and cars with cleaner fuels while laying the groundwork for the zero-emission electric vehicles of the future. We cannot sit idly by as our communities suffocate. Environmental policy must be intertwined with racial and social justice, recognizing the unique challenges faced by Black and brown New Yorkers.
Imagine a New York City where clean air is not a commodity but a fundamental right for all, regardless of race or economic status. Imagine a city where the health disparities wrought by polluted air are a thing of the past. This vision is not just a dream, but a necessity—an urgent call to action for the health and future of our city.
Passing clean fuel standard legislation would be a commitment to environmental justice, a pledge to the health of our city, and a promise to future generations. This program deserves our full support and swift enactment. With it, we can turn the tide, ensuring cleaner, healthier air for all New Yorkers.
Bertha Lewis is the President and Founder of The Black Institute, a Black-led policy and organizing institution dedicated to solving local problems and addressing the concerns of Black families and immigrants.