This article was written by Mercedes McKinley, Nevada Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres. It originally appeared in Spanish in El Tiempo Latino on November 8, 2023.

It has been over a year since the approval of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest climate legislation in US history. This massive investment in green jobs and clean energy incentivizes states to reduce air pollution and invest in public transportation.

It is crucial that state governments leverage the IRA, especially since Latino families, and other disadvantaged communities, are disproportionately impacted by air pollution. This is an opportunity to ensure environmental justice for those exposed to smog and hazardous air.

This injustice is something I’ve experienced firsthand. My family fled the civil war in El Salvador in the mid-1980s and settled in the northern and eastern parts of Las Vegas. These neighborhoods have the highest asthma rates in the city, thanks to heavy traffic and smog. Our first home was a block from Interstate 15, where we were constantly exposed to smoke from engines. I will never forget the dirt that accumulated in the air filter in my house.

My father worked hard, fixing televisions and radios. He quit smoking in 1994 but still suffered frequent respiratory problems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and I (pregnant at the time) fell ill. Both of us were concerned, as the neighborhood we lived in had the highest COVID-19 transmission and death rates in Nevada.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), neither pollution nor COVID-19 are equitable killers: the most affected are those from low-income and ethnic minority communities. My father finally succumbed after a two-month battle with the virus, two days before my daughter was born. In a way, his last breath was my daughter’s first.

My mother’s recurring breast cancer was another devastating reminder that breathing polluted air impacts health. Research has demonstrated that women’s health and air pollution are connected, and that air pollution increases the risks of developing dementia (my mother received a related diagnosis earlier this year).

These experiences heightened my fears about the type of air my daughter will breathe in the future, but it has also driven me to do everything I can to repair and restore my community. As an environmental activist, I applaud the advancements of the Inflation Reduction Act. This law provides tax credits to families investing in electric vehicles and solar panels. This could be transformative for Latino families in Nevada, where energy bills increased by $70 after a record-hot summer, adding pressure to families who are already struggling to cover rent, food, and health expenses.

The IRA has created over 35,000 jobs for Latino communities in the United States and can further transform lives by creating a green future. But this scenario depends on whether or not state and municipal governments implement IRA programs. If they don’t, it would be a missed opportunity to address the environmental racism affecting Latinos and other disadvantaged communities.

In my work fighting for environmental justice, I have witnessed how my Latino community continues to be unfairly impacted by our planet’s warming, poor air quality, and a lack of investment in infrastructure. Widespread inequalities mean that many of us lack access to trees, parks, and shade that can provide relief in one of the fastest-warming cities in the country, Las Vegas. In my zip code, there was no place for a woman like me to find relief from triple-digit temperatures and dirty air. This is a reality that remains all too common.

All families deserve to live in a healthy and safe environment. It is vital to maximize the impact of the IRA without delay. Our state and municipal leaders must seize these opportunities to protect the future for our children and heal our planet.

TELL PRESIDENT BIDEN & EPA: MOVE QUICKLY TO FINALIZE STRONG POLLUTION PROTECTIONS