DELAWARE — In a significant step towards zero-emission transportation, Delaware has officially adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rules. The move aims to reduce harmful pollution from passenger vehicles and sets the state on a course for 82% Zero-Emission Vehicle sales by 2032.
The new rules also mandate cleaner combustion engines. However, Delaware stopped short of full implementation of ACC II through 2035, a move that could have further accelerated the transition to zero-emission transportation.
Deborah Brown, Chief Mission Officer with the American Lung Association, applauded the decision while emphasizing the need for more comprehensive action.
“Delaware is moving in the right direction with [this] action on Advanced Clean Cars: there is no question that the transition to cleaner and zero-emission vehicles will save lives and reduce lung health emergencies,” said Brown. “However, more must be done to ensure the transition to zero-emissions includes medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and a shift from combustion to zero-emissions for our power supply.”
According to the Lung Association’s Driving to Clean Air report published in June 2023, Delaware could reap $4.3 billion in public health benefits savings by reducing passenger vehicle emissions. This includes avoiding approximately 400 premature deaths and 9,500 asthma attacks by 2050—if a widespread shift to 100% zero-emissions passenger vehicle sales and clean, non-combustion electricity were to occur by 2035.
The American Lung Association supports the widespread and rapid shift to zero-emission transportation as vital to improving lung health and saving lives. The organization believes the standards set by the ACC II rules are central to this transition.
The new rules promise cleaner air for all Delaware residents, particularly benefiting the more than 13,700 children and 79,000 adults with asthma, as well as tens of thousands more vulnerable due to age or medical conditions, as per the Lung Association’s State of the Air 2023 report.
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