The pressure’s on. Gasoline is California’s biggest source of carbon emissions and air pollution. The state must drastically reduce gasoline use in the next 5 to 10 years to have a chance of protecting its climate and air quality. If it fails, the climate, health and economic impacts of vehicle emissions will continue to be borne disproportionately by people of color.   

Legislation to require that all new passenger vehicles sold after 2030 be electric instead of gas-powered (“Clean Cars Legislation”), would deliver landmark advances in environmental justice and equity to communities of color in five important areas—health, finances, land values, economic opportunity, and community self-determination.

Cities need to know how many gallons of gasoline are pumped within their borders, so they can assess the impact of transportation greenhouse gas reduction measures, and refine strategies to more effectively reduce gasoline consumption. The California Energy Commission (CEC) collects reports of gallons of gasoline sold from gas stations each year, but so far has not released them. Coltura is working to obtain these reports. Here’s why it’s important to do so:

THE FIGHT AGAINST AIR POLLUTION, THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND WASTEFUL SPENDING

Gasoline and diesel used by Americans cars and light trucks cause more than one billion metric tons of CO2 pollution every year, or about 17% of all U.S carbon pollution.