Growing up in Southern California during the 1950s and 1960s, I remember how painful it was to breathe; the air pollution, or “smog,” was that bad. In 1966, California adopted the country’s first vehicle emission standards, and in 1968, the federal government adopted identical standards. Reducing vehicle emissions has proven doable from a technological standpoint and beneficial from a public health perspective, and many other states have followed suit and adopted this process.
Now, our president has ordered the federal government to revoke the process that has worked for more than 50 years to help us breathe easier.
