Attend a free training to make your voice heard on the Clean Power Plan

A majority of Americans support the Clean Power Plan (CPP), the first ever limit on carbon pollution from power plants. But industry groups and big polluters are already weighing in to make people believe otherwise.

Pennsylvania is the third largest carbon emitting state in the nation and will be required to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 33.3 percent by 2030 under the CPP. The rule is flexible, allowing the commonwealth to craft a "state implementation plan,” which must be approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania has the opportunity to chart a path forward that takes into account our unique energy mix, economy, and workforce.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is looking for feedback from citizens as it prepares its state implementation plan to meet carbon reduction targets that addresses Pennsylvania’s unique opportunities and challenges. PennFuture is teaming up with our partners to offer free advocacy trainings to correspond with listening sessions held by the DEP.

Elected officials are accountable to you – their constituents. Learn proven strategies for making your voice heard at one of these upcoming free trainings.

Allentown

Training: October 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Muhlenberg College, Moyer 106, 2300 Chew St., Allentown, PA 18104

Hearing: October 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Muhlenberg College, Trumbower 130, 2238 Chew St., Allentown, PA 18104

Erie
Training: October 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at LEAF Education Center, 1501 W. 6th St., Erie, PA 16505
Hearing: October 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hirt Auditorium at Blasco Library, 160 East Front St., Erie, PA 16507

Williamsport
Training: October 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Community Room of the Pajama Factory complex
1307 Park Ave, Williamsport, PA 17701
Hearing: November 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Penn College – Williamsport, Mountain Laurel Room, One College Avenue, Williamsport, PA 17701

Attend a training near you to learn quick and effective ways to make your case to policymakers. 

You'll receive sample messaging, fact sheets, and talking points; one-on-one assistance crafting personal narratives about the Clean Power Plan; and participate in a hands-on mock hearing to practice your delivery. 

Participants wishing to speak at one of these DEP listening sessions must register at 717-783-8727. To participate in one of the trainings, please contact Jay Andrews at andrews@pennfuture.org.

If you are unable to attend the trainings and listening sessions or have more to say, you have until November 12, 2015 to submit written comments. Check out this recent post as you craft your response. 

Feedback may be submitted online using DEP’s eComment site, by email to ecomment@pa.gov, or by mail to Department of Environmental Protection, Policy Office, Rachel Carson State Office Building, P.O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063.

Lauren Fraley is the director of communications for PennFuture and is based in Pittsburgh. 

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.

The summer of reason: The G7 pledges to act on climate.

Global climate change is front and center this summer. Earlier this week, the Group of Seven (G7), comprised of leaders from seven of the world’s largest industrialized nations, convened in Germany for a two-day annual summit to discuss global economic challenges. 

As part of the summit, the G7 announced its commitment to phase out fossil fuels by the end of this century. A majority of the participating G7 countries have already set carbon emission reduction goals. For example, the United States has pledged an 83 percent reduction from its 2005 greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. But for countries that have been less proactive in this realm such as Canada and Japan, this agreement indicates a new and exciting commitment to address climate change. 

Much credit was given to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also known as the “climate chancellor,” for making climate change a priority in G7 planning. From The Guardian:

     [Jennifer] Morgan [of the World Resources Institute] praised the momentum that appears to be developing among the world’s leaders for climate action.

     “Politically, the most important shift is that chancellor Merkel is back on climate change. This was not an easy negotiation. She did not have to put climate change on the agenda here. But she did,” she said.

While the G7 agreement on de-carbonization by the century’s end is non-binding, this pledge by seven of the world’s major economies is expected to have the effect of driving investment away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy and energy efficiency. Also from the Guardian (emphasis added):

     [Tom Burke, environmental advisor to Shell,] said that outside the numbers, the G7’s primary function was to send signals to other countries and to markets and that the announcement today would shift things significantly. 

     “Everyone gets over focused on what the text of the treaty is. What really matters is what gets done in the real economy and the extent that the players in the real economy react to this signal. You’re going to shift the needle of interest in the investing community away from oil and gas and towards renewables, storage and energy efficiency. And I think that’s further than probably the oil companies had anticipated,” said Burke.

Other climate news to watch this summer:

• Pope Francis’ much-anticipated encyclical on the environment will be released on Thursday, June 18.
• A mid-July release is expected for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which will be the first federal standard on carbon pollution. 

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

Time to move way beyond "business as usual"

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released another important set of policy recommendations in Berlin this week. In light of the fact that heat-trapping emissions grew more quickly in the first decade of this century than in any of the three previous decades, we are reminded again that "business as usual" in the energy world isn't leading to a more stable climate.

Scientists have been telling us for years that to avoid dramatic disruptions in climate, the world needs to limit global warming to no more than two degrees Celsius (about 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

But we have collectively waited so long to start making serious cuts to emissions that the pressure is very much on: To stay within the "safe" levels of warming, we must lower greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 70 percent by mid-century (with 2010 levels as the base point), and to near zero by the end of the century. Whoa!

The IPCC remains confident we can achieve these cuts, although the longer we wait, the more expensive it will be for all of us.

The report calls for policies that we at PennFuture have been recommending for years, recognizing that using less energy is as important as using clean energy. PennFuture played a keep role in enacting Pennsylvania's energy efficiency standard (Act 129) in 2008, and has been recommending to Harrisburg policymakers since then that we increase efficiency standards.

Although Pennsylvania's population isn't expected to change significantly in the decades ahead, global population seems likely to increase greatly, with billions of people simultaneously wanting to increase their standard of living -- both factors leading to potentially huge increases in energy demand. So, energy efficiency at the global level becomes ever more important.

As Youba Sokona (co-chair of the IPCC Working Group that released the report this week) points out, "The core task of climate change mitigation is decoupling greenhouse gas emissions from the growth of economies and population."

Take a look at PennFuture's new Clean Energy Wins report that offers a roadmap for how state government can grow Pennsylvania's economy while shrinking its carbon footprint.

Joy Bergey is federal policy director for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia.

Gina McCarthy rocks!

PennFuture is in the midst of encouraging -- well, pushing actually -- the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt federal standards to limit industrial carbon pollution from coal-burning power plants. At long last!

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.

Those 100+ cards represent thousands of comments already sent to the EPA from Pennsylvanians supporting the rules.

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.

Our hope for climate progress in 2014: Love Always Wins.

This week's guest blogger is PennFuture member Gretchen Dahlkemper-Alfonso. Based in Philadelphia, Gretchen is National Field Manager for Moms Clean Air Force. This "Air Force" is a national movement of more than 190,000 moms — and dads, too! — protecting our children’s right to clean air, much as parents fought for us 40 years ago when the Clean Air Act was passed. Gretchen collaborates closely with us at PennFuture to slow climate change, encouraging our leaders to act while inviting changes from each of us in our daily lives.

We asked Gretchen how she's feeling about the year ahead as 2013 draws to a close. We hope you'll enjoy her message as much as we do.

-- Joy Bergey, federal policy director, PennFuture

Gretchen and her kids by Tammy Bradshaw Photography

"This is my favorite time of the year. Each night, after the last child has closed its eyes, I sit down next to our beautiful Christmas tree and think about the joys and challenges of the past year, and set goals for the year ahead. This past year has been challenging in so many ways, so I'm ready for 2014. I was energized when the director of Moms Clean Air Force, Dominique Browning, announced that her theme for 2014 is Growth & Optimism.

We are at a turning point in our history. At no other time has the human race seen such a tremendous shifting in the natural world. Extreme weather threatens our homes, drought in America’s heartland is raising the price of our groceries, and our children who are suffering from chronic illnesses such as asthma are finding that longer allergy seasons and poor air quality are affecting their everyday activities.

There is hope: Renewable energy and energy efficiency are proven and reliable sources of cutting the greenhouse gas emissions that are threatening our way of life. We have the opportunity in Pennsylvania, right now, to make a choice: Stay rooted in the past, a past that has relied on the burning of dirty fossil fuels for over a century, or, embrace growth, innovation, and the promise of a healthier and stronger Commonwealth.

I have hope that the President’s Climate Action Plan, outlined in June, will make great strides toward reducing carbon emissions in the U.S. I have hope that the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Pennsylvania will become a platform for a serious discussion of the state’s energy policy, the health of our communities, and the unsustainability of fossil fuel extraction. I have hope that the recent changes in municipal elections across the Commonwealth will yield new and exciting ideas for addressing climate change in our hometowns.

With recent news about dirty backroom deals and corporate lobbying dollars flooding the political landscape, it is easy to feel disenfranchised with the political system. It is easy to think that the dirtiest corporate polluters will win when they stand up in court and use my family’s hard-earned money to fight the very life-saving mercury standards that aim to protect my babies. It is easy to think that the promise of a large campaign donation will sway the “swing” votes as another election cycle looms over the horizon.

It is easy to think that the polluters will win until you realize that Moms have the greatest power of all – Love.

And Love Always Wins.

I enter 2014 with a sense of optimism and invite you to join me. The power of Love will win this fight, and it must – our children are counting on us."