Yuma, Arizona (3TV/CBS 5) — Arizona State Senator Brian Fernandez Yuma City Council members are calling for stronger standards for large trucks driving in the state.

They say it's important to limit truck pollution and hope the hydrogen plant proposed for Yuma will be an important step toward improving air quality. “Yuma County also produces lettuce and other vegetables that are distributed all over the world. We want to make sure it's safer for families while not putting that at risk,” said the Democrat from Yuma. Fernandez said.

Yuma City Council Member Carol Smith, a neonatal nurse, is also passionate about changing emissions standards. “Pollution from trucks and buses pollutes our air, puts our health at risk and can cause respiratory diseases such as asthma,” Smith said.

Smith said pollution from these trucks has a direct impact on the approximately 20,000 people in Yuma who suffer from asthma. She said 4,000 of them were children.of EPA has proposed stricter emissions standards for heavy trucks starting in 2027, and Fernandes expects a final decision soon. “A big part of that is using different fuel standards until we end up with zero emissions,” he said.

Fernandez believes Yuma will be a leader in providing new fuel alternatives for trucks, including hydrogen fuel. He said plans were being finalized. Build a hydrogen plant just outside the city limits. “One of their ideas was to set up a hydrogen truck station between Phoenix and San Diego so that trucks moving through the area could use hydrogen,” he said.

The plant is expected to supply hydrogen to Arizona and Southern California. “When we reach full capacity, we will have 10% of the country's capacity when it comes to hydrogen, so Yuma will play a big role in this regard,” Fernandez said.

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