PHOENIX – On August 30, the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club issued its 2023 Environmental Report Card, which cited: American Lung Association Report Phoenix Air ranks as the seventh-worst city in the country for particle pollution and the fifth-worst for ozone levels. This poor air quality has led to growing health concerns, especially in marginalized communities.

According to the 2023 edition of the American Lung Association. Air status reportfour Arizona counties received an F grade for air quality: Gila, Maricopa, Pima and Pinal.

There are currently more than 2 million people in Maricopa County who identify as non-white. According to a 2022 report conducted by the Arizona Department of Health Services, 23% of adults who identify as Black/African American have been diagnosed with asthma, compared to 23% of adults who identify as Black/African American. 16% suffer from.

“Our communities of color are disproportionately exposed to unhealthy air, and people of color also find themselves more vulnerable,” said Joanna Strother, senior director of advocacy at the American Lung Association in Arizona. They are most likely to be living with one or more chronic conditions that make them vulnerable.” Health effects of air pollution. This includes asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. ”

2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Report Across the United States, black people are five times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma-related symptoms than white people.

“A higher percentage of people of color and other disadvantaged groups live near sources of pollution with higher levels,” Strother said. These sources of exposure include, but are not limited to, highways, warehouses, power plants, and populated areas.

Hazel Chandler, a field organizer for the Arizona environmental group Moms Clean Air Force, was diagnosed with asthma and has been living with cancer for the past 11 years. Last summer, Chandler said he developed a persistent cough that developed over four months due to high ozone levels and poor air quality.

Hazel Chandler, a field organizer for the Arizona environmental group Moms Clean Air Force, was diagnosed with asthma and has been living with cancer for the past 11 years. (Photo by Sam Volante/Cronkite News)

Chandler said the intense coughing caused 12 fractures in the hairline of his spine, requiring emergency surgery. This incident, along with other medical costs, contributed to an overwhelming increase in medical costs.

“All of us living with the effects of air pollution have to pay huge medical bills,” Chandler said.

Strother emphasized that the transportation sector is one of the biggest sources of pollution. The American Lung Association estimates that if Arizona switched to electric vehicles by 2050, 38,500 asthma attacks could be prevented and 1,360 lives could be saved.

As detailed in a Sierra Club report, this session of the Arizona Legislature is working on several bills that will impact the environment, some of which concern public and electric transportation. .

One of these bills is SB 1102, which was rushed through on the last day of Congress. Additions to the bill include restrictions on the expansion of the public light rail system, and a proposed rail extension that would have gone all the way to the Capitol was halted.

The bill also includes an air quality addition, defined as “the paving of unpaved roads and the procurement of street sweepers to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act.” The Environmental Protection Agency's current guidelines call for ozone levels to be less than 70 ppb (parts per billion).

“We certainly won,” state Rep. Nancy Gutierrez (D-Tucson) said of this year's budget. “The funding is there for electric vehicle expansion. That, along with other clean energy standards, is definitely where our future is headed.”

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But the Legislature also adopted a resolution noting that during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, “ozone levels rose from 79 parts per billion to 87 parts per billion in Maricopa County, even though most vehicle and business activity ceased.” did. The report urges President Biden and Congress to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to impose fines on Arizona and lower clean air standards (70 ppb) that would be “unachievable by any of the regulatory actions being considered.” He asked them not to force them to do so.

Organizations like the Sierra Club consistently advocate for doing more for the environment. Sandy Bahr, president of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon chapter, criticized past Arizona legislatures, saying they “did nothing to act on climate change.”

Arizona Sen. John Kavanaugh (R-Fountain Hills) disputed Barr's comments, saying, “The Sierra Club needs to understand that it's not all about the environment. It's about other people's needs and wants and payments. We need to consider ability.”

The Sierra Club report scores individual politicians on their votes on bills that affect the environment. Most incumbent Republicans gave him an F rating, but Democrats' ratings were mixed across the board. Governor Katie Hobbs secured an A.

Arizona Sen. Juan Mendez (D-Tempe), a member of the Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee, received an “A” on the report card and agreed with Barr's assessment. There is. “There's a lot to improve on. I feel like we're not doing anything for the environment,” he said.

Mendez said he hopes to pass several bills in the next Congress that will have a positive impact on the environment and has already started brainstorming for next year.