North Coast California News

Washington, D.C. – The Co-Chairs of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko, and SEEC Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Mike Levin released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement for new rules limiting carbon pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants under its authority from Section 111 of the Clean Air Act. In a March 2023 letter, Reps. Matsui, Quigley, Tonko, and Levin, along with 53 of their colleagues, urged EPA Administrator Michael Regan to propose strong limits under Section 111 and to finalize them by March 2024.

“Today’s announcement by the EPA tackles head-on the dangers that polluting power plants pose to American public health and well-being. It is our most vulnerable communities that frequently bear the negative consequences of fossil fuel-fired plants, from increased respiratory and cardiovascular diseases to premature deaths. A strong standard from EPA fulfills the agency’s obligation under the Clean Air Act to protect all Americans - especially those historically marginalized - from the sources of air pollution that threaten human health.

“Curbing dirty power plants is critical to combatting the ever-worsening climate crisis. This rule builds on the important investments in the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to the levels we committed to under the Paris Climate Agreement. By cleaning up carbon emissions from the U.S. power sector, we are targeting the direct source of a full quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, a cleaner grid also means other sectors of the economy can reduce their emissions as well by joining in the economy-wide push for electrification.  

“Under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act, the Biden Administration has the authority and obligation to limit carbon pollution from power plants. Issuing strong standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants – both new and existing – will help us avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. We are encouraged that today’s proposed rule from EPA would be a critical step towards decarbonizing our power sector and the rest of the American economy.

“We urge the EPA to swiftly finalize the strongest possible rule for power plant carbon pollution standards that will supercharge our transition to a clean and healthy future.”

Original source can be found here.