New EPA Rules Announced Today – Some MD & DE Officials Not Happy
The Trump administration announced new plans today to roll back and replace Obama-era regulations on emissions from coal-fired power plants – a move praised by the coal industry as a job saver but panned by critics as a green-light to polluters. The EPA has been working to overhaul the program with the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule since President Trump took office. READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE
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US Senator Tom Carper Slams Trump Administration’s Plan to Dismantle the Clean Power Plan
Carper: The plan fails to protect health of Americans and our climate, and could send clean energy jobs overseas
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, blasted the Trump Administration’s proposal to replace the Clean Power Plan, the most ambitious climate action the United States has ever taken.
“If I were grading the Trump Administration’s proposal to replace the Clean Power Plan, I would give it an ‘F.’ This egregious climate denial plan fails to protect the American people from the serious risks of climate change, fails to produce the same health and energy saving benefits that were achieved under the Clean Power Plan, and could send clean energy jobs to China. That alone would be enough for anyone to get a failing grade, but this proposal goes even further and allows polluters to increase the amount of smog and soot they emit into the air our children breathe. Only in President Trump’s world could good policy mean ignoring the threats of climate change, increasing consumer energy costs, sending jobs overseas, and threatening the lives of our country’s most vulnerable citizens.
“The American people deserve better, plain and simple. I will fight tooth and nail to keep this senseless policy that would especially harm low-lying, coastal states like Delaware and prevent them from moving forward. This administration must be held accountable for the actions it takes to reverse our progress on climate change, risk clean energy jobs here at home and damage our health. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: repealing the Clean Power Plan and replacing it with a proposal as ill-conceived as this isn’t just a talking point. It will have serious consequences for the health of the public and our planet. It is possible to have clean air and also have a growing economy; the Clean Power Plan was built around that very premise, while the Trump Administration’s proposal fails to do either.”
MD Attorney General Frosh’s Statement on Clean Power Plan Replacement
Maryland Part of Coalition of States and Local Governments Defending Clean Power Plan; Will Vigorously Oppose Replacement Rule
BALTIMORE, MD (August 21, 2018) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed plan to dismantle the Clean Power Plan, the first-ever national limits on climate change emissions from existing fossil-fuel power plants:
“The Environmental Protection Agency cannot step away from its job. We have a shared responsibility to protect our environment from harm. Any effort to pare down or eliminate the Clean Power Plan takes away years of progress to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change on our public health and our environment. Our coalition of states and local governments will continue to defend the Clean Power Plan which is critical to ensuring that progress is made in confronting climate change.”
Attorney General Frosh is part of a coalition defending the Clean Power Plan led by New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood. That coalition also includes New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, the District of Columbia, New York City (NY), Broward County (FL), Boulder (CO), Chicago (IL), Philadelphia (PA), and South Miami (FL). The states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania and the City of Los Angeles also joined in comments the coalition filed in April opposing repeal of the Clean Power Plan.
Governor Carney’s Statement on Repeal of Clean Power Plan
WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The goal of the Clean Power Plan is to reduce carbon pollution from coal-, oil-, and natural gas-burning power plants, and combat the threat of climate change.
“Delawareans up and down our state are already experiencing the effects of climate change and sea level rise. Delaware is the lowest-lying U.S. state, and 17,000 homes here are at permanent risk of inundation. Rising average temperatures and stronger storms pose risks to our $8 billion agricultural industry and threaten our natural resources. And unchecked air pollution presents health risks for all Delawareans.
“The Clean Power Plan set national targets for carbon emission reductions, but provided flexibility for the states to determine how best to achieve these targets. We have worked hard in Delaware to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and partner with other states in addressing pollution that feeds rapid climate change. This proposed replacement of the Clean Power Plan will make our efforts to reduce carbon pollution more difficult, and will remove a strong incentive for state and federal governments to work together to clean up our air.
“Put simply, it’s a bad idea to abandon any tool we have to fight climate change together. Through the U.S. Climate Alliance, we are already working with states to uphold the goals of the Paris climate agreement. But today, I join leaders across our country in calling on the Trump Administration to abandon this new proposed rule and reinstate the Clean Power Plan so we can provide the global leadership necessary to confront this threat.”
