‘Tis the season – for public hearings

This year, PennFuture members have publicly testified on an array of issues before the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Members, staff, and advocates are countering the claims of industry polluters and communicating with policy makers. We're advocating for a strong state implementation plan to comply with the Clean Power Plan (CPP), stressing the need to address harmful methane pollution from oil and gas drilling, and developing the commonwealth’s state forest management plan.

The common denominator among each of these hearings is that your voice matters to environmental decision makers. 

Knowing this to be true, we encourage you to get involved with a hearing on the Clean Power Plan that is quickly approaching. The EPA is seeking comments on the federal implementation plan (FIP), the one-size-fits-all alternative to an individual state implementation plan (SIP). The FIP ensures that all states are brought into compliance and reduce carbon under the Clean Power Plan even if they choose not to take action. It's the ultimate backstop and disincentive for states that have no intention of submitting their own plan. 

While it's encouraging that the EPA is serious about achieving compliance even if states don't want to cooperate, it's essential to emphasize that Pennsylvania’s best option is to pursue a strong state implementation plan. 

Pennsylvania is well positioned to draft its own aggressive, flexible state implementation plan that puts the commonwealth on track for a zero-carbon energy future. While the FIP can mirror some of the positive elements of a strong state plan – a mass-based, trade-ready structure and clean energy incentives, for example – we should be extremely cautious to choose rigidity over flexibility. 

If you’re interested in giving testimony at this hearing or attending the kick-off rally preceding the first day of the hearing – let us know! We can help coordinate transportation, provide information, give feedback on testimony, and answer any questions you may have about the Clean Power Plan. 

Update: Clean Power Plan Rally

Thursday, November 12 – 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Outside of the William S. Moorhead Federal Building

1000 Liberty Ave

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

REGISTER

Federal Implementation Plan Hearing Details

Thursday, November 12

9:00 am – 8:00 pm

William S. Moorhead Federal Building, Room 1310

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Friday, November 13

9:00 am – 5:00 pm

William S. Moorhead Federal Building, Room 1310

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

To register for either date – sign up online, via phone at (919) 541–0832, or email to Virginia Hunt at hunt.virginia@epa.gov.

Comments on the proposed Federal Plan and Model Rules for the Clean Power Plan must be received by January 21, 2016. More information is available on EPA’s website. 

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.

Final Clean Power Plan rulemaking: What's next?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to release its final Clean Power Plan rulemaking – the first-ever regulation in the United States to cut carbon emissions from power plants – any day now.

The Clean Power Plan (CPP) aims to cut carbon pollution nationally by an average of 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, providing up to $93 billion in climate and public health benefits. The EPA projects these carbon pollution limits will prevent up to 6,600 premature deaths, up to 150,000 asthma attacks in children, and up to 490,000 missed work and school days in 2030.

Pennsylvania expects to see significant economic and environmental benefits from meeting the CPP’s goals. For example, the National Resources Defense Council found that Pennsylvania would create 5,100 jobs under the CPP. Public Citizen also reported that electricity bills in Pennsylvania will fall 9.2 to 9.8 percent by 2030 under the Clean Power Plan, saving the average household $125 to $132 annually.

The CPP is an much-needed step toward mitigating climate change and presents myriad public health and economic benefits for the Commonwealth. But just because the regulation will be finalized in a few days doesn’t mean that its carbon reduction, health, and economic growth benefits will automatically be realized. The process, in some respects, is just getting started.

Once the rule is finalized, what’s next?

The CPP was designed to give states the flexibility to create a state-based compliance plan that fits their unique economic, environmental, and existing power generation situation. Absent proactive action, EPA will implement its own plan on the Commonwealth. Any plan must cut Pennsylvania’s carbon emissions by 31 percent by 2030.

Pennsylvania, however, is not waiting on the release of the final rule to start weighing its compliance options, explains PennFuture’s Jennie Demjanick in a recent blog post. One of the options being weighed by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the state agency that will write the state implementation plan, is a multi-state program modeled after a cap and trade strategy. Under this approach, a collection of states will set caps on their carbon emission reductions that decrease over time and create a marketplace for carbon producers to purchase and trade permits to emit carbon pollution. This effectively provides a strong incentive for carbon producers to reduce their emissions in as cost effective a manner as possible. Look no further than our New England states for an example of such a system, called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Fortunately, Pennsylvania has many options to choose from to meet its carbon reduction goals. Last week, DEP Secretary John Quigley discussed next steps in an interview with OnPoint, stating that all compliance options are on the table and that the DEP is engaging all stakeholders in the process.

What challenges lie ahead?

Choosing and implementing a carbon reduction strategy isn’t the only barrier. Inevitably, there will be legal challenges. In a recent article by E&E, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) boasted that more than a dozen states are ready to take legal action against the CPP.

Some states have opted for legislation that requires state lawmakers to approve state implementation plans before they are sent to the EPA, adding uncertainty to the process and potentially leading to the EPA implementing its own federal plan on these states. For its part, Pennsylvania’s General Assembly chose this path by passing HB 2354, a law now known as Act 175 of 2014.

The U.S. Congress also has the ability to weaken or overturn the rule. Through the Congressional Review Act, Congress has the power to review, and ultimately overturn, any major rulemaking. Presumably, Congress would need to produce a veto-proof majority in order for this option to be realized. This is not entirely out of the realm of possibility given that only a handful of votes across party lines would be needed to produce that supermajority. Additionally, Congress may also vote on appropriations bills and on amendments to bills that have the power to weaken the intent of the rule or defund EPA’s ability to enforce the rule.

How can I get involved to ensure the success of the Clean Power Plan?

Attend a rally

PennFuture and many partner organizations will gather for rallies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to show support for the Plan on Thursday, July 30 at 12:30 p.m. in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Bring a friend, hold a sign, and enjoy FREE ice cream.

Make a call to your U.S. Senators

We outlined above the role that elected representatives play in the success or failure of the Clean Power Plan. We also know that elected officials are responsive to their constituents, which is why it’s so important that supporters of the Clean Power Plan convey the benefits of the Plan from their personal perspective to their U.S. Senators. Interested in making a call on Thursday, July 30? Email Katie Bartolotta at Bartolotta@pennfuture.org.

Write to your local newspaper

Want to express your support for the Clean Power Plan in writing? Make your voice heard by submitting a letter to the editor to your local paper. Email Katie Bartolotta at Bartolotta@pennfuture.org if you’re interested.

Katie Bartolotta is southeast Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.

Sooty Linings Playbook -- brought to you by our frenemy, ALEC

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the innocuously-named American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC, funded by huge corporate polluters and their deep-pocketed friends like the Koch brothers, has developed a playbook to get anti-environmental laws passed in state legislatures across the land.

The strategy starts with developing model bills that can be shared with legislators, who then introduce them in state capitols. (See the Center for Media Democracy's very helpful website, ALEC Exposed.)

ALEC is shameless about how little concern they have for the public good. They ferociously attack the idea that the country should begin to limit CO2 emissions, as shown in their EPA's Regulatory Train Wreck: Strategies for State Legislators.

This struck home all too painfully this month, when the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed (and Governor Tom Corbett signed) H.B. 2354, which we like to call the Stall on Carbon bill. Coal interests carried the day in Harrisburg to get this awful bill passed. Its aim is to interfere to the maximum extent possible with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed standard to limit CO2 emissions from coal-burning power plants.

The EPA proposal offers each state abundant flexibility in meeting its state-specific targets. Ironically, H.B. 2354 could backfire on its supporters by ultimately forcing the Commonwealth to forfeit all its flexibility under the rule and forcing the EPA to impose a top-down plan on Pennsylvania. It's embarrassing that so many of our state legislators who supported this terrible bill seem not to have thought this all through in advance.

Unlike Hollywood's playbook, which so easily brings us silver linings, we in Pennsylvania may be stuck with a sooty lining thanks to our frenemy, ALEC.
                  
P.S. Want to see which fossil fuels giants are straddling the fence, claiming to care about climate change but are still part of ALEC? HuffPo sums it up nicely.

Joy Bergey is federal policy director for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @joybergey.

Talking points for testifying at upcoming EPA public hearing on climate change

You've likely heard that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing, at long last, to limit industrial carbon pollution from dirty, power plants. The agency's Clean Power Plan is great news for Pennsylvania (and the rest of the world). It can only mean cleaner air, a more stable climate, and better health for all of us in the future.

Consider yourself hereby invited to testify at the EPA hearing in Pittsburgh on Thursday, July 31, and Friday, August 1. Anyone and everyone should consider testifying. You can represent yourself, an organization, your faith community, or your family.

What would you say in your testimony? Start by introducing yourself and where you live. State the name of the organization you represent and what they do, if you're speaking on their behalf.

State that you are fully supportive of the EPA's proposed standard, and that you want it to be implemented promptly and without being weakened in any way.

Continue by offering a sentence or two about why you care about action on climate change. For example, "My cousins lost their home on the Jersey shore to Hurricane Sandy, and unchecked climate change will only bring us more and more superstorms."  Or perhaps, "My children (or grandchildren) deserve as safe and stable a future as we can possible leave them, and climate change works against that." You get the idea.

Then it would be helpful to list some facts and figures about climate change. See below for a bunch of those that you can use.

Finish up by reiterating your support for the proposed standard, and thanking EPA for the opportunity to be heard.

Keep in mind that you are only allotted five minutes. so you will want to speak to the issues that resonate with you the most. (300 to 600 words total would be great.)

Bring two copies of your testimony (typed or handwritten) to leave with the EPA. And be sure to include your name and contact info on the copies.

So, register to speak at the hearing!

Please sign up now for a speaking slot on Thursday, July 31, or Friday, August 1. EPA should respond to your request within 24 hours, assigning you a time to speak. Please email me at bergey at pennfuture dot org and let me know what time you've been assigned to speak. And if you can't get to Pittsburgh, I can arrange for someone to read your testimony.

Talking Points......Feel free to use any of these in your testimony.

• Carbon pollution causes climate change, resulting in more frequent and increasingly violent extreme weather events, drought, sea level rise and other stressors that devastate communities, threaten public health, and destroy and degrade wildlife habitat.  
• Globally, we’ve now had 351 consecutive months above the long-term average, meaning a 29-year-old has never lived through a “cooler than normal” month.
• Wildfires, floods and extreme weather events like heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall, are becoming more frequent and more severe. These changes are happening in the evolutionary blink of an eye.  This creates real costs to our economy, negatively impacts public health and puts stress on wildlife and the natural environment.
• Pennsylvania creates more heat-trapping emissions than all but two other states -- Texas and California, each of which have much larger populations.
• Pennsylvania creates nearly one percent of the world's total heat-trapping emissions, far disproportionate to our population. 

 The Public Health Impacts

• From the American Lung Association: "Climate change and ozone scientists warn that the buildup of greenhouse gases and the climate changes caused by it will create conditions, including warmer temperatures, which will increase the risk of unhealthful ambient [ground level] ozone levels....Even with the steps that are in place to reduce ozone, evidence warns that changes in climate are likely to increase ozone levels in the future in large parts of the U.S. To protect human health, the nation needs strong measures to reduce climate change and ozone." (www.lung.org)
• From the 2014 National Climate Assessment: "Climate change, as well as increased CO2 by itself, can contribute to increased production of plant-based allergens....Higher pollen concentrations and longer pollen seasons can increase allergic sensitizations and asthma episodes and diminish productive work and school days. Simultaneous exposure to toxic air pollutants can worsen allergic responses. Even rainfall and rising temperatures can foster indoor air quality problems, including the growth of indoor fungi and molds, with increases in respiratory and asthma-related conditions."   (nca2014.globalchange.gov)
• From the 2014 National Climate Assessment: "Extreme heat events are the leading weather-related cause of death in the U.S. Many cities, including Philadelphia, have suffered dramatic spikes in death rates during heat waves....Heat waves are also associated with increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular, kidney, and respiratory disorders."   (nca2014.globalchange.gov)

•  Clean Air Task Force provides terrific information at the level of counties and power plants for every state, including Pennsylvania. Go to www.catf.us/fossil/problems/power_plants and click on Pennsylvania on the map.

The Economic Impacts

• Between 1970 and 2006, U.S. GDP grew by 195 percent, even though we had Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Air Act regulations that significantly cut carbon monoxide, smog pollution, acid rain, and toxic pollutants like lead.  
• Setting limits on the carbon pollution causing climate change will spur investment and innovation in energy efficiency and clean energy technologies. The real economic risk is inaction. From 2011-2013 alone, damages from extreme weather events have exceeded $200 billion. Imagine how much of a cleanup bill we’d be handing our children and grandchildren if we fail to act now.  
• More than 90 million Americans take part in wildlife-related recreation, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Hunting and Fishing Survey. The outdoor recreation industry contributes $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting nearly 6.5 million jobs in communities across the U.S. and generating $88 billion in annual state and national tax revenue.

Supporting Points

• The EPA is using its authority, granted by a bipartisan vote of Congress, signed by a Republican president [Nixon], and confirmed by a conservative-leaning Supreme Court [The Roberts Court], to set standards for industrial carbon pollution from power plants, which threatens public health.
• Setting reasonable carbon pollution standards for power plants will cut the primary driver of climate change, which fuels extreme weather that threatens communities and public health with increasing costs and worsening impacts.
• Climate change deniers want you to distrust the science, and ignore the impacts and costs of climate change already being felt by communities and wildlife across the country.
• Big polluters want to continue to dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into the air for free, instead of adopting reasonable carbon pollution safeguards that protect public health and wildlife by slowing climate change. That’s wrong.

Joy Bergey is federal policy director for PennFuture, and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @joybergey. You can meet her in Pittsburgh on July 31 or August 1 -- she wouldn't miss it for the world.

Three cheers! EPA moves ahead with carbon standards for power plants

Great news: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at the direction of President Obama, is preparing to set limits on carbon pollution from power plants that burn fossil fuels. These power plants are responsible for 40 percent of the country's carbon pollution, and Pennsylvania has some of the dirtiest and oldest of these plants.

The EPA has formally proposed a standard that would limit CO2 from any new (i.e., not-yet-built power plants), and is currently accepting comments on this standard.

Perhaps even more exciting, EPA is preparing to go straight at the big, old, dirty plants. EPA has announced it will formally propose a standard for these plants in June 2014. (Prepare for a huge fight over this one, my friends.)

EPA will hold a listening session on Friday, November 8 in Philadelphia to gather comments from the public on the standard aimed at existing plants. PennFuture is leading the charge to get people to attend the session, either to testify to EPA, or to be part of the audience urging on the speakers.

If you care about climate change, this is a wonderful opportunity to show EPA that there's strong public support for action.

Can you join us in person? Register here to attend and/or speak on this Friday.

Can't get to Philly on November 8? Submit your comments to EPA online.

This is the time to speak out for strong action to limit carbon pollution from power plants.