EPA Holds Hearings on Clean Power Plan!

The Environmental Protection Agency took an exciting leap forward for our environment last month when they announced a proposed new rule to regulate carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. The rule, informally called the “Clean Power Plan,” aims to reduce our carbon dioxide pollution from power plants by 30% nationwide by 2030 – representing the most aggressive step ever taken by the US government to address climate change pollution, protect our public health, and safeguard our wildlife habitat.

At the end of July, the EPA is opening their doors for a cumulative eight days of public testimony in four cities across the country. This is our opportunity to speak out in support of the EPA’s common-sense approach to reducing carbon pollution from our nation’s coal-fired power plants.EPA listening session

Click here to register to give testimony!

Atlanta, Georgia:
July 29 and 30, 2014
9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (EST)
Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center
Main Tower Bridge Conference Area, Conference Room B
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
Information and directions to EPA’s Atlanta office
Register for the hearing

Denver, Colorado
July 29 and 30, 2014
9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (MDT)
EPA Region 8 Building
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202
Information and directions to EPA’s Denver office
Register for the hearing

Washington, DC
July 29 and 30, 2014
9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (EST)
William Jefferson Clinton East Building, Room 1153
1201 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Information and directions to EPA Headquarters
Register for the hearing

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
July 31 and August 1, 2014
9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (EST)
William S. Moorhead Federal Building, Room 1310
1000 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Directions to the William S. Moorhead Federal Building 
Register for the hearing

Check out this blog from Penn Future (NWF affiliate organization in Pennsylvania) for more information regarding the Pittsburgh hearing!

Unfortunately, big corporate polluters and their allies in Congress don’t want to pay their fair share (surprise surprise!). These corporate bad-actors want to create the illusion that Americans are divided on these groundbreaking new rules. But we know better. According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, 67% of Americans support regulation on climate pollution. That’s why we need to demonstrate the overwhelming public support for protecting the nation’s wildlife and wild places by speaking out at these public hearings!

Not sure whether you want to testify, but you KNOW you want to make a difference? Email info@nwa.org and a National Wildlife Federation team-member will follow up with you from one of these key cities about what it means to testify as well as other ways that you can have an impact.

What to Say When You Attend

Make it personal

From Atlantic puffins in Maine facing starvation, to moose in Minnesota suffering from worsened ticks and heat, and fish in Colorado dying from toxic runoff caused by extreme wildfires—wildlife are counting on us to address climate change now.
(USFWS) From Atlantic puffins in Maine facing starvation, to moose in Minnesota suffering from worsened ticks and heat, and fish in Colorado dying from toxic runoff caused by extreme wildfires—wildlife are counting on us to address climate change.
  • Why does climate change matter to you? Use your comments to add a personal face to this national problem.
  • Climate change is causing more intense weather events. Have you been impacted by worsened extreme weather such as Hurricane Sandy, the extreme flooding in Colorado, prolonged drought in the southwest or other severe weather events?
  • Smog and air pollution can cause or worsen respiratory illnesses- including allergies and asthma. Have you or members of your family felt any of the negative health impacts of climate change? Or, are you a health professional who works with people who are harmed by air pollution from coal-fired power plants?
  • Climate change is harming wildlife and the outdoor places that we love most. How is a changing climate affecting the wildlife and outdoor places that you love?

Include a few key facts

  • Plant and wildlife species are shifting their entire ranges to colder locales, in many cases two- to three-times faster than scientists anticipated.
  • If carbon pollution continues at the current rate, scientists predict that higher temperatures will lead to major extinctions of 50% of species around the globe.
  • Coal-fired power plants release upwards of 2 billion tons of carbon emission each year—80% of all carbon emissions released from the electric utility industry annually.
  • The average US coal fired power plant is 50 years old and not operating efficiently; so standards that push the modernization of our electric power sector are long overdue.

Write your comments down

  • The time limit is 3 minutes. People usually read 150 words in one minute, so keep your comments under 450 words.
  • Bring two hard copies of your written comments to submit to the Environmental Protection Agency, with your name and contact info written on the comments. They can be typed or hand-written.
  • If you can’t make it, still be sure that your voice is heard. You can speak up by submitting your comments to The Environmental Protection Agency.