Given Congress' refusal to #ActOnClimate, President Obama is using his executive authority to move our stubborn country along. Hence, the EPA's work to set limits on the amount of CO2 that existing and not-yet-built power plants can emit.
I was fortunate enough to be able to meet Gina McCarthy, the EPA Administrator on Tuesday, February 25, when I attended a White House briefing on the President's climate action plan. The White House invited about 150 faith and community leaders from across the country to update us on what the Administration is doing on climate, and to learn from us what's happening in local communities across the country.
Gina McCarthy has been a clean-air hero of mine for a decade now. She first caught PennFuture's eye when we were working to pass Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard back in 2004. Gina was Connecticut's Commissioner of Environmental Protection then, leading in states' efforts to move away from filthy fossil fuels used for electricity production, and moving towards wind, solar, and energy efficiency.
We've been following her career ever since, and so were delighted when she was confirmed as EPA Administrator last year.
Administrator McCarthy talked to the group of us gathered for the briefing this week with passionate, smart, and inspired thinking. She stressed what clear-thinking people already know: "Whatever we do that's good for addressing climate change is also good for our economy." (Hmm. Where have I heard something very similar before? "Every environmental victory grows the economy."). She pointed out that unchecked climate change is not just a threat to public health and the planet, but a threat to the economy as well, adding that the new rules "will put money in your pocket, grow jobs, and move people from poverty into the middle class." Sounds like a plan to me!
Gina's mantra for energy efficiency? "Go forth and save money!"
During Q&A, one committed activist asked why the rule on existing power plants (due to be formally released for public comment later this year) wouldn't set the tolerable amount of CO2 emissions from power plant at zero -- the ideal situation. Gina answered thoughtfully: "I have read carefully the legislation [Clean Air Act] that governs what my agency can do, and I am being very careful that we're within the law, so that we can't be accused of that 'overreach' thing that could ruin our efforts." And then, with that wonderful McCarthy wit, she added that she couldn't do simply whatever she wanted to do, since "nobody had died and made her queen," as much as she might enjoy being queen.
I had the opportunity to meet Ms. McCarthy before the briefing, and handed her a pile of comment cards from Pennsylvanians in support of the proposed rules to limit carbon emissions.
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If it's not yet May 9, 2014 when you're reading this, then it's not too late for you, too, to weigh in and tell the EPA to require any new plants that will come online to be on a tight carbon budget. Please -- it really matters. And we know that Gina is listening.
Joy Bergey is PennFuture's federal policy director and is based in Philadelphia.
