5 environmental wins to celebrate
this Earth Month

From game-changing rules that could slash America’s climate pollution to a boom in green jobs — this Earth Month, we’re taking a moment to appreciate five recent environmental victories. 

1. The strongest-ever tailpipe pollution standards could speed the adoption of electric vehicles  

This month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on tailpipe pollution to deliver cleaner air and combat climate change — while creating jobs and saving people money. The ambitious proposal means that two-thirds of all new cars and passenger trucks could be zero-emitting by 2032, which would cut billions of tons of climate pollution.

2. There’s new hope in the fight against mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants

For the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. EPA has proposed strengthening the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which protect Americans from toxic pollution from coal-fired power plants. The proposal closes a loophole in the existing standards that has allowed some plants to emit three times as much mercury as other plants. (See Environmental Defense Fund’s map of mercury emissions from the most polluting coal plants here.)

3. Biden's "good neighbor" plan will help clean up unhealthy smog

Set to take effect in May, the Biden administration’s "good neighbor" rule will address interstate air pollution and reduce smog-forming smokestack pollution. In 2023, the rule is expected to prevent nearly 110,000 asthma attacks and improve health for millions of people in downwind states.

4. In “Cancer Alley,” petrochemical facilities face tighter regulations

Of the top 10 types of cancer that sicken Americans, Louisiana ranks number one for seven of them. But Michael Regan, head of the U.S. EPA, recently visited Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” to announce a proposal that would sharply reduce toxic emissions from petrochemical facilities. The rules would benefit everyone, but especially the people living in the shadow of these facilities, which spew pollutants including ethylene oxide, benzene, vinyl chloride and chloroprene.

5. Green jobs are booming

Over the next five years, more than 15 states will have new factories or production lines to manufacture electric vehicles, batteries, components and chargers, providing tens of thousands of new jobs. Policies and legislation promoted by President Biden, including the 2021 Infrastructure Law and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, both of which include made-in-America provisions and billions of dollars in funding, have been major drivers of this growth.