Lawmakers, Environmental Justice, and Clean Air Advocates Call on Governor Hochul to Stand Strong for Clean Air Protections

To protect the health and safety of all New Yorkers, state legislative leaders and clean air advocates held a news conference to call on Governor Hochul to defend the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) standard against industry and federal attacks. As lawmakers work to finalize the budget, speakers emphasized the importance of rejecting any efforts to roll back or delay ACT standards intended to address the severity of the state’s diesel pollution problem.

As the president and Congress seek to eliminate these common-sense air quality protections at the behest of polluters, participants called on the Governor to ensure New York acts as a national leader to defend state authority and public health.

First adopted in 2021, New York’s Advanced Clean Truck program has been attacked by corporate polluters that are using false claims and misrepresentations about the ACT standard to pressure state leaders to roll back or weaken these vital pollution protections.

This is a critical moment for clean air progress. Diesel fumes are known to cause or worsen asthma, lung disease, and cancer, and New Yorkers are especially impacted. Communities like the South Bronx face some of the highest death and disease rates from asthma in the country, and research shows that 3,000 people die every year from air pollution in New York City alone.

Full implementation of New York’s clean truck standard is estimated to save hundreds of lives and is estimated to generate nearly $2.8 billion in public health benefits. New York is already one of the leading states on electric truck infrastructure investments, and utilities like ConEd are investing in grid updates to support the needs of more clean trucks.

Speakers at today’s press conference released the following statements:

“When powerful interests try to choke progress, we must fight harder to let our people breathe. The Advanced Clean Truck rule is not just policy — it is protection. It is justice. It is our line in the sand against those who profit from pollution while our children wheeze and our elders struggle to breathe,” said Senator Robert Jackson (SD-31). “I stand with every New Yorker in urging Governor Hochul to hold the line. This is the moment to lead, to resist the rollback, and to protect what we’ve fought so hard for. The air we defend today will define the future we leave behind.”

“We cannot wait any longer to implement a clean fuel policy. Diesel trucks are one of the most significant sources of air pollution in New York State, which kills 3,00 New Yorkers every year,” said Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (SD-47). “Unfortunately, just as we are set to implement the Advanced Clean Trucks Standard, which was agreed to four years ago, corporate polluters are trying to kill the agreement. The ACT standard, and the reduced emissions, good paying jobs, and economic benefits that creating new zero emission trucks will bring, must move forward as originally intended. Doing so will make a tremendous difference in supporting our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the public health of New Yorkers.”

“As the Trump administration rolls back crucial environmental protections, setting us back years, Congressional Republicans are targeting emissions standards to dismantle the Advanced Clean Trucks initiative in California, also affecting our efforts in New York. We cannot let this happen,” said Senator Rachel May (SD-48). “As a leader in environmental protection, New York must take a strong stand against these efforts to safeguard the health of our planet for future generations.”

“We all deserve to breathe clean air — it doesn’t get much more basic than that,” said Senator Andrew Gounardes (SD-26). “But far too many New Yorkers, including neighbors in places like Red Hook and Sunset Park, have been stuck breathing toxic exhaust from a never-ending stream of dangerous, polluting trucks. That’s bad for our health, bad for our economy and bad for our future. We can’t let climate change-denying Republicans in D.C. drag us back to the polluted past, and we can’t back down at the state level either. The Advanced Clean Truck rule is crucial to keeping our communities healthy and safe.”

“We adopted the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) standard in 2021 because clean air is an essential part of a healthy, livable state. Our clean air standards are being actively eroded by the federal government, and e-commerce has increased steadily since the standard was adopted. Trucks are the dirtiest vehicles on our roads, and implementing the Advanced Clean Trucks standard is the easiest, most effective way to ensure we are protecting New Yorkers,” said Assemblymember Emily Gallagher (AD-50). “We have the technology, the science, and the knowledge necessary to protect New Yorkers and safeguard our environment — all we need is the political will to honor our commitments and lead.”

“Gutting clean air standards is about one thing and one thing only: protecting corporate polluters from accountability,” said Assemblymember Claire Valdez (AD-37). “Vehicle emissions are a major source of pollutants that contribute to asthma, heart disease, and climate change. We should be strengthening policies like New York’s Advanced Clean Truck — or ACT — rule, which would generate millions in health and economic benefits, not selling off our public health and climate to the highest corporate bidder.”

“The clean truck standard is more than just smart policy — it’s a necessary step to protect communities across the state from dirty diesel pollution. We have a feasible plan to transition to cleaner trucks, which will clean the air, improve our health, and help us meet our climate goals,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (AD-52). “Clean trucks are vital to our future; this is no time to stall or backtrack on progress. The federal administration is utterly failing us on pollution prevention and environment standards, so it’s up to the states to act.”

“We’re not asking dealerships to start selling electric trucks, nor are we asking people to start buying electric trucks — what we’re requiring is for manufacturers to start ramping-up production of electric trucks at a reasonable pace. I can’t think of a single reason why that’s not possible — especially when 11 states have already done it,” said Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha (AD-103). “All parts of our electrification efforts need to be in motion right now. Delaying the implementation of this law would be caving into the industry’s misinformation campaign for no good reason, at the steep price of New Yorkers’ health.”

“>Delaying ACT implementation will have real, devastating consequences for New Yorkers,” said Jaqi Cohen, Director of Climate and Equity Policy at Tri-State Transportation Campaign. “Nationally, our clean air, clean water, and climate regulations are at grave risk, as the Trump administration actively dismantles environmental protections at the federal level. It has never been more important for New York to be a leader here and hold the line.”

“Cleaner trucks means a more stable climate, cleaner air, and healthier communities for us all, and particularly our environmental justice communities living next to our busiest, highly trafficked highways. We urge Governor Hochul to protect New York residents and oppose any attempt to delay swift implementation of this important program to slash transportation pollution. Let’s move forward with ACT,” said Jessica Enzmann, Senior Campaign Organizer at Sierra Club.

“Dirty diesel trucks are wreaking havoc on our communities across the state. Regulations like the ACT standard are key to addressing deadly truck pollution today,” said Conor Bambrick, Senior Climate Advisor for the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. “Delaying the ACT standard prevents New York from meeting our climate mandates and puts our public health in jeopardy.”

“Standards like the Advanced Clean Trucks rule will help protect New Yorkers amid a flurry of attacks on clean air at the federal level,” said Steven Higashide, Director of the Clean Transportation Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Meanwhile, delays could result in over $300 million in public health harm from diesel pollution. Clean air truly cannot wait.”

“This is an effort that will literally save lives. We owe it to ourselves and future generations of New Yorkers to protect the air they breathe,” said Deb Peck Kelleher, deputy director at the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. “By making the proper investments and continuing to implement the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, we make the lives of New Yorkers better.”

“In the face of a federal administration doing the bidding of polluters every day, New Yorkers need Governor Hochul to stand strong to protect air quality and defend the Advanced Clean Truck rule in the budget. Tale as old as time, oil and gas industry’s attempts to delay and dismantle any progress on clean air protections are happening here and now, just as they are on the national arena,” said Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate for Earthjustice. “Governor Hochul and New York leaders already smartly adopted the Advanced Clean Trucks program to protect their constituencies who suffer from dirty polluted air that causes pediatric asthma and premature death. Now, we need the Governor to ensure New York shows national leadership to defend this rule, protect public health, and preserve state rights.”