Worried about dirtier air in your lungs and dirtier drinking water in your faucets? About spending more at the gas pump? Speak up to federal agencies at a regulatory hearing!
Are you looking for more ways to take action on the environmental issues that you care about? In this series, we’re exploring overlooked ways to advocate for our environment and communities. We believe that the more people participate in the workings of our government, the better outcomes will be for people and the planet!
First up in our series: speaking truth to power – regulatory power, that is. You can give federal agencies your thoughts on their proposed rules and regulations – like those that impact our air, water, and climate. We first explored how to submit a public comment online. Today, we’re diving into how you can speak directly to policymakers by testifying in a public hearing.
Before finalizing new rules and regulations, federal agencies are required to hold public comment periods to gather information and get a pulse on popular opinion. They are also required to hold a public hearing.
Hearings usually take place about halfway through the comment period, and are currently held over Zoom. Anyone can sign up to participate from the comfort of their home! Testifying at a regulatory hearing is a great way to speak directly to policymakers about impacts on you and your community. Here’s how to testify in three easy steps.
Sign up to testify on the rulemaking page on Regulations.gov or the federal agency’s website, for example:
You must register to attend a hearing (even if you want to just listen in). You’ll indicate if you’d like a morning or afternoon time slot. After you register, you should receive a confirmation email from the agency.
You will have up to three minutes to give your remarks. A good rule of thumb for drafting testimony is that one minute = about 150 words. Plan your comments for no more than 450 words. Write your comments down and practice them so you are familiar with what you want to say and how long it will take.
Here’s how to structure your testimony. As our example, we’ll respond to the proposed rollback of clean car standards:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed reversing the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for cars and trucks. The 2022 CAFE rule has made cars more fuel-efficient, saving drivers money at the pump and reducing air pollution. Reversing it would allow automakers to make less fuel-efficient cars that are more expensive to drive. The comment period closes February 4, 2025.
Keep an eye out for an email from the rulemaking agency. They will send a speaker list with specific timeslots a few days before the hearing.
Plan to log on 20-30 minutes in advance of your scheduled time to access the virtual room. It is possible that they will be running ahead of schedule. But, also be prepared for a wait. Depending on the number of speakers, there may be a delay. Often, the people running the hearing will announce the next 3-5 speakers in a block, so you’ll have an additional heads up before they call your name to speak.
Remember to keep your testimony to three minutes or less. The hearing administrators will be strict about this time limit.
When it’s your turn, take a deep breath and speak slowly! Remember, this is an influential moment in the rulemaking process. Officials want to hear about how this rule would impact you personally.
For more inspiration, check out the testimony LCV’s Darien Davis gave at the recent hearing on the CAFE rule:
Testimony of Darien Davis, Government Advocate for Climate and Clean Energy at the League of Conservation Voters,
before the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT),
at the Public Hearing for The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule III for Model Years 2022 to 2031 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks
January 7, 2026
Hello and thanks for giving me the opportunity to testify today. My name is Darien Davis, and I’m a Government Affairs Advocate at the League of Conservation Voters, or LCV. I’m here today on behalf of LCV’s members across the country to oppose the inaccurately-named Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles rule.
The SAFE vehicle rule will actually do the exact opposite of its name; it will gut fuel economy standards that for decades have helped to reduce fuel costs for drivers and air pollution for everyone. These money-saving standards, known as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or “CAFE”, Standards, help to ensure that new cars are more efficient and can go longer distances on a single tank of gas.
At a time when the costs of basic goods and services are already sky-high, and steadily increasing, the Trump administration should not be increasing costs even further by gutting miles per gallon standards. Electricity costs are up 13% over the past 12 months, and I’ve seen my electricity bill rise significantly, despite my usage staying mostly the same. Fortunately, I am a single person with enough support and job benefits that I can adjust my budget to absorb these higher utility bills. I would be hard-pressed to do this if I had the additional, rising expense of owning and operating a car.
People across the country are doing the same thing that I’m doing – they’re examining their budgets and looking for places to cut back just to make ends meet. Working families need access to affordable and reliable transportation options in order to make a living. Unfortunately, transportation is the second largest household expense, just behind housing.
Even so, the existing efficiency standards for cars and trucks have been providing relief to drivers for decades; a recent NRDC study found that fuel economy improvements over the past fifteen years have saved the average household hundreds of dollars per year. The Trump administration is misguided to eliminate this relief for families’ transportation costs.
Rolling back fuel-economy standards would also have steep costs for our health. The current standards for cars and trucks have the added benefit of reducing dangerous, health-harming air pollution. Eliminating these cost-saving standards means decreased air quality, and lower air quality means families, especially those suffering from asthma or heart disease, could see more frequent hospital visits.
In summary, I oppose the proposed SAFE Vehicles rule because it will make driving a car even more expensive while we are in the midst of an affordability crisis, and will increase the pollution that makes people sick and unsafe. Thanks for the opportunity to testify today.
So you’ve completed your public testimony, now what? On the Regulations.gov proposal page, you can check out additional public comments under the Document Comments tab to see what other people have to say. You can also stay up to date on whether the rule you commented on is rejected or approved.
We’ve got a lot of work to do, and every action helps. Here are three more actions you can take to continue to stand up for environmental protections and democracy:
Feb 12, 2026
Jul 30, 2025
May 5, 2025
Apr 29, 2025
©2026 League of Conservation Voters
