This past June, President Obama brought a smile to my face when he unveiled his plan to tackle climate change. He laid out a clear plan to solve the problem in a way that mapped out our road to a healthier, clean energy future. President Obama reminded us that we are already paying the price for our inaction and—most importantly for me— that as a President, as a father, and as an American, he refused to condemn “future generations to a planet that’s beyond fixing.”
I couldn’t agree more. It’s our moral obligation to future generations to leave them a healthy planet and to do all we can to make sure that “historic” and “biblical” floods, hurricanes and droughts which have caused so much loss to so many, don’t continue to increase to the point where they are the new “normal.”
Central to this plan is cutting the main source of heat-trapping emissions: carbon pollution. Power plants account for 40% of the carbon pollution in the United States. To get this done, the president called on EPA to take action, and they responded. Standing by their mission to deliver clean air, clean water, and safe and healthy environment and its authority under the Clean Air Act, EPA proposed standards that will limit dangerous carbon pollution from new power plants.
By proposing limits to the carbon pollution that new power plants can emit, EPA is taking a critical step towards addressing one of the most significant public health threats of our time. We need this. Our children need this. Limiting carbon pollution will help protect us from the higher temperatures that result in dangerous smog levels in the future in causing asthma attacks and respiratory problems. Carbon pollution accelerates and worsens climate change, contributes to more frequent and more violent extreme weather that cost communities and the federal government billions in disaster recovery and impacts lives and livelihoods across the country.
Right now, there are no limits on the amount of carbon pollution that power plants can dump into our air. We have rules limiting the amount of arsenic, lead, soot and other pollution from power plants why shouldn’t we expect polluters to limit carbon pollution?
Taking action to reduce carbon pollution will spur investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency creating jobs and a more resilient economy. Since 1970, every $1 in investment in compliance with Clean Air Act standards has produced $4-8 in economic benefits. So wherever your interests may lie, cutting carbon pollution just makes sense.
It’s time to stop debating and have the courage to move forward Click here to show your support for carbon standards for power plants.