Action Alerts

California needs a new tool to clean its air

What's At Stake

Californians breathe some of the dirtiest air in the country, but new legislation would give California a strong tool to tackle the growing air pollution problem across our state.

Our state legislators and Governor Newsom need to hear from us — urge them to pass the Pollution Hotspots Solution Act!

Read More

Air pollution has a cost. It raises the risk of serious health problems, including asthma, lung damage, heart attacks, cancer, and even early death. These health impacts are costing all Californians, driving up spending on healthcare and pricey prescription medicine. In 2022, Californians had 14,118 asthma hospitalizations and 125,113 emergency room visits for asthma, which adds up to billions in health costs for families each year. Luckily, the Pollution Hotspots Solution Act can help fix that.

This legislation is a strong tool to address California’s dirty air problem from pollution hotspots, or areas that attract a lot of vehicle activity and tailpipe emissions that pump pollution into local neighborhoods. This Act directs California to address this issue through proven strategies such as providing companies with a flexible menu of clean solutions they can invest in over time. The solutions can range from acquiring zero-emissions trucks to building charging infrastructure, building solar, installing air filters in local schools and hospitals, and more.

This bill builds on California’s long history of developing innovative air pollution policies. While the federal government tries to keep us at a polluting standstill, California must move forward with the rest of the world. And in 2025, California should develop clean air strategies that aren’t dependent on action from the federal government. Earthjustice will continue to forge ahead with ambitious pollution strategies in the states. We don’t wait for progress, we make progress. Join us and urge your legislators to help give California a strong tool to clean our air.

An aerial view of shipping containers attached to trucks
Shipping containers stand attached to trucks at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest container port, on September 18, 2018 in San Pedro, California. China will impose an additional $60 billion in tariffs on U.S. imports in retaliation to $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports set by U.S. President Donald Trump. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)

Delivery to California State Legislature, Governor Newsom

Important Notice

Your message is delivered to a public agency, and all information submitted may be placed in the public record. Do not submit confidential information.

By taking action, you will receive emails from Earthjustice. Change your mailing preferences or opt-out at any time. Learn more in our Privacy Policy. This Earthjustice action is hosted on EveryAction. Learn about EveryAction’s Privacy Policy.

Why is a phone number or prefix required on some action forms?

Trouble Viewing This Action?

If the action form is not loading above, please add earthjustice.org as a trusted website in your ad blocker or pause any ad blockers, and refresh this webpage. (Details.) If the action form still does not display, please report the problem to us at action@earthjustice.org. Thank you!

Your Actions Matter

Your messages make a difference, even if we have leaders who don't want to listen. Here's why.

You level the playing field.

Elected officials pay attention when they see that we are paying attention. Read more.

They may be hearing from industry lobbyists left and right, but hearing the stories of their constituents — that’s your power.

Our legislators serve at the pleasure of the people who gave them their job — you.

Make sure your elected officials know whose community and whose values they represent. When you contact your elected official, you’re putting a face and a name on an issue.

Whether or not you voted for them, they work for you, for the duration of their term.

Make sure your elected officials know whose community and whose values they represent. (Find your local, state, and federal elected officials.)

Your action is with us in court.

If a federal agency finalizes a harmful action, the record of public comments provides a basis for bringing them into court. Read more.

Throughout each of the public comment periods we alert you to, Earthjustice’s attorneys are researching and writing in-depth, technical comments to submit — detailing how the regulation could and should be stronger to protect the environment, our communities, and our planet.

We need you to join us — your specific experiences, knowledge, and voice are crucial to add to the Administrative Record through the comment periods.

Lawsuits we file that challenge weak or harmful federal regulations rely on what was submitted during the comment period. The court can only look at documents that are in the Administrative Record — including the public comments — to decide if the agency did something improper.

Your actions aid our litigation. Taking action and submitting comments during a comment period is substantively important.

It’s the law.

Federal agencies must pause what they’re doing and ask for — and consider — your comment. Read more.

Many of us may have never heard of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), but laws like these require our government to ask the public to weigh in before agencies adopt or change regulations.

Regulations essentially describe how federal agencies will carry out laws — including decisions that could undermine science, or weaken safeguards on public health.

Public comments are collected at various points throughout the federal government’s rulemaking process, including when a regulation is proposed and finalized. (Learn about the rulemaking process.) These comments become part of the official, legal public record — the “Administrative Record.”

When the public responds with a huge outpouring of support for environmental protections, these individual messages collectively undercut politicians' attempts to claim otherwise.

What this means is each of us can take a role in shaping the rules our government creates — and ensuring those rules are fair and effective.