Faith and Official Reaction
EPA’s CLEAN POWER PLAN
Docket ID# OAR-2013-0602
STATEMENT FROM THE U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
(USCCB)
The U.S. bishops urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “to develop
standards to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants and thereby
mitigate climate change” in a May 29 letter from Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of
Miami, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
“The USCCB recognizes the importance of finding means to reduce carbon
pollution,” Archbishop Wenski said. “These standards should protect the health
and welfare of all people, especially children, the elderly, as well as poor and
vulnerable communities, from harmful pollution emitted from power plants and
from the impacts of climate change.”
Archbishop Wenski said that “the best evidence indicates that power plants are
the largest stationary source of carbon emissions in the United States, and a
major contributor to climate change. Power plants have often been located near
low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Air pollution from these
plants contributes to respiratory problems, especially in the young and the
elderly.”
He added that there are “damaging impacts from climate-related events in the
United States and across the globe, particularly on poor and vulnerable
communities. Beyond the regulations, the United States should exercise
leadership for a globally negotiated climate change agreement.”
STATEMENT FROM REPUBLICAN EPA ADMINISTRATORS
Christine Todd Whitman, George W. Bush's first EPA administrator and a former
Republican governor of New Jersey, said she was "frustrated" by continued
assertions by fossil industry groups and Capitol Hill Republicans that EPA was
overreaching on carbon regulation.
"The issue has been settled," Whitman told the Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
Subcommittee. "EPA does have the authority. The law says so; the Supreme
Court has said so twice. That matter should now I believe be put to rest."
Bill Reilly, George H.W. Bush's EPA administrator, said that climate skepticism
was "simply not a tenable position." U.S. action on climate is necessary to show
international leadership on the issue, he said. There's a need, he added, to spur
action by other governments, especially China.
Interfaith Power & Light
Bill Ruckelshaus, the agency's first administrator who served under Presidents
Nixon and Reagan, and Lee Thomas, who served under Reagan, said the
science of climate change is settled, especially after the May release of the
National Climate Assessment, which attempted to show that dangerous warming
is already impacting the United States.
AN EXISTING POWER PLANT POLLUTION REDUCTION PLAN (RGGI IN THE
NORTHEAST)
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Commissioner Kelly SpeakesBackman said in a recent interview that one of the reasons states might consider
regional programs is that they have proved to be cost-effective in the past. The
nine-state compact has managed to reduce power sector emissions by 40 percent
since 2005 while growing its regional economy by more than 7 percent.
SENATOR WHITEHOUSE ON FAIRNESS
But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said that although he understood that
lawmakers from fossil-fuel states are eager to protect their home-state industries,
they should "look at the other side of the ledger."
States like his own face costs associated with rising sea levels, more frequent
storms and other effects of climate change, he said. Coastal homes have been
damaged, and more hot days are driving increased smog leading to asthma
attacks, he said in his opening remarks.
"Our side of the ledger counts too," he said. "Don't pretend we don't exist."
INDUSTRY
Thirty snow industry corporations and ski resorts have joined together with Protect
Our Winters to support the recent EPA carbon standards. Their letter, sent to
President Barack Obama, applauded the federal government's efforts to reduce
carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act. The standards propose limits on carbon
emissions from existing power plants, reducing carbon emissions 30% below
2005 levels.
“As business representatives of the US snow sports industry, we applaud your
efforts to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants under the Clean Air
Act.” “We all depend on consistent winters and with climate change already
bearing down on our winter season, it’s time to take effective and measurable
action now,” the letter said.
Some of the most influential brands in snow sports have signed on, including
Burton, The North Face, Patagonia, Squaw Valley Resort, Black Diamond
Equipment, Ltd. and many others.
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Interfaith Power & Light
AND
Earlier this month, when the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans
to reduce power plant carbon emissions by 30 percent, critics were quick to rattle
off tired arguments, claiming that the new standards would wreck the economy.
But this time many businesses opposed these claims.
More than 170 companies and investors, including EMC, Nike, KB Home,
Starbucks, and Unilever, came out in support of the EPA rules. Why? Well, the
answer is that in part companies are seeing the economic benefits of clean
energy in their own businesses.
Today, many of America's largest companies are strengthening their bottom lines
by jumping on the clean energy bandwagon -- to the tune of more than $1 billion
in savings per year.
INTERNATIONAL VIEW/US LEADERSHIP
The EPA’s proposal sends a powerful signal to the rest of the world that the U.S.
is prepared to walk the talk. The U.S. isn’t acting alone as other key countries are
also taking concrete steps to control their carbon pollution.
In 2013, China invested more than $54 billion in clean energy – one-third more
than the U.S. The country has become the world leader in installed wind power. It
installed more solar in 2013 than the U.S. has installed in all of the years
combined.
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