As someone who’s lived in Colorado her whole life and has strong family roots here, I’ve seen a big change in our air quality. As a mom, grandma and the chair of the Chicano Humanities Arts Council, I feel an urgency to speak out about a crisis that has silently infiltrated our lives – the harmful impact of ozone pollution on our community’s health.

My long history of community leadership has opened my eyes to the harsh realities of bad air quality. Many of the students I’ve had the privilege of working with throughout my career are students of color who live near busy highways, and I’ve witnessed these students struggle with asthma and other respiratory illnesses due to the harmful effects of ozone pollution.

The rapid decline in our air quality is driven in large part by emissions from gas-powered vehicles, which release a toxic mix of pollutants into the air. These pollutants form ozone across the Front Range, which then poses a serious threat to public health by infiltrating our lungs and compromising our overall well-being.

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Colorado’s air quality ranks among the nation’s worst – the Denver metro received an “F” rating for ozone pollution recently in the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report. The consequences of inaction are severe, from the strain on our health care system to the diminished quality of life for those grappling with respiratory illnesses, and not to mention the long-term environmental damage.

Addressing our state’s ozone crisis head-on requires Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission to take bold action by adopting the strongest version of the Advanced Clean Cars 2 Rule, which calls for achieving 100% electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2035. By doing so, we can accelerate the transition to cleaner and more sustainable modes of transportation, not only reducing harmful emissions but also fostering the growth of a green economy that creates jobs and economic opportunities within our communities.

The Advanced Clean Cars 2 rulemaking will take place on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20 and presents an unprecedented opportunity for Colorado to make a meaningful change. I expect the Air Quality Control Commission to rise to the occasion and wholeheartedly embrace the most robust version of the Advanced Clean Cars 2 Rule. This will help to ensure a safe and healthy future for all Coloradans, both for the present and generations to come.

Renee Fajardo is chair of the Chicano Humanities Arts Council, an attorney by training, an author and the mother of seven children. She currently serves as the coordinator for the Metropolitan State University of Denver “Journey Through Our Heritage” program, a multicultural leadership program under the Department of Chicana/o Studies. She also serves as chair of the Colorado Folk Arts Council.