President Obama hit it out of the park on Tuesday, announcing his plan to tackle climate change. It was especially encouraging to hear him instruct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement rules to limit carbon pollution from power plants. Although he couldn't quite bring himself to say out loud that coal is the primary target of the new rules, it wasn't lost on those who somehow defend this dirtiest of industries.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky wrongly described the plan as a war on coal. Sorry, Mitch, but you're wrong. All that carbon dioxide belching forth unchecked from coal plants means we'll fry the planet if we don't transition immediately to a clean energy economy. More specifically, we're on the way to ruining the future of millions of children who will have to contend with a world of routine extreme weather and the economic and societal disruptions that will result.
This isn't a war on coal, Senator. Rather, it's a war on the injustice of relying on a devastating source of power when we have clean sources of power such as wind and solar readily available. Even so, Congress insists on providing disproportionately large subsidies to fossil fuels instead.
Fortunately, there's another guy named Mitch who sees the truth. That would be Rev. Mitch Hescox, president and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network. Mitch, a self-described Republican Evangelical, said this week, "We need solutions that engage all of America. I agree with the President, American ingenuity can help us cut down on pollution, champion energy efficiency, and create the next generation of jobs, while taking care of the poor."
Which Mitch would you choose? Backward-looking Mitch McConnell, or forward-looking Mitch Hescox?
I know my choice. I'm on the bus with Mitch Hescox.
