USCAN Reaction to EPA’s Repeal of Power Plant Carbon Pollution Limits

In response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to repeal greenhouse gas limits for fossil fuel power plants, the U.S. Climate Action Network (USCAN) released the following statement: 

"The EPA's decision to stop limiting carbon pollution from power plants is a catastrophic betrayal of public health and scientific reality. 

‍By stripping away these life-saving protections, the Trump administration is giving big polluters a blank check to burn dirty coal, oil, and gas at the precise moment that scientists – and our own eyes – tell us that we must urgently phase out fossil fuels. This is a profoundly disturbing move barely two weeks after a critical report from the United Nations showing the planet will exceed  the critical 1.5 degree warming threshold. 

As the world’s leading historical polluter the U.S. should be leading the way, not doubling down on dirty, polluting energy sources of the past century.

This is not just an emissions numbers game. It is a public health crisis. Power plants dump deadly particulate matter and other pollutants directly into the air our children breathe, disproportionately poisoning low-income communities and communities of color. The best available science tells us that greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants are responsible for thousands of premature deaths and hundreds of billions of dollars in economic harms each year. 

The EPA’s stated mission is to protect human health and the environment. Instead, Trump’s Environment “Protection” Agency continues to dismantle critical environmental protections and enrich its ultra-wealthy friends. In doing so it turns a blind eye to the Americans living in the shadows of smokestacks or facing ever more climate-amplified natural disasters.”

— Sriram Madhusoodanan, Director of Policy & Advocacy, U.S. Climate Action Network 

‍

USCAN Members’ Reactions:

Maggie Coulter, Attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute:

“From perverting the law to undermining science, Trump’s rollback of power plant pollution rules is a complete sham,” said Maggie Coulter, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. “Denying the existence of a quarter of the country’s climate pollution is utterly reckless. It will lead to more lost lives and suffering from intense heatwaves, drastic storms and destructive wildfires, just like those we’ve seen this summer. This is a transparent giveaway to fossil fuel polluters, and the courts should see it that way.” 

Denise Abdul-Rahman, Founder and CEO Black Sun Light Sustainability a Movement Strategy Center, Indiana Project:

“Eliminating climate pollution controls displays a deafening disregard for humanity; no level of profit justifies rolling back reductions in harmful emissions. Indiana ranks second highest in the nation for greenhouse gas emissions from coal and power plants. Within the NIPSCO utility footprint alone, a Michigan City's cooling tower stands as a stark symbol where over five generations of residents have endured asthma and the cumulative health impacts of coal ash exposure.”

Irene Burga, Climate Justice and Clean Air Director at GreenLatinos:

“For too long, Latino and working-class communities have paid the price of the climate crisis through dirtier air, dangerous heat, higher energy costs, and worsening health, while fossil fuel companies continue to profit. Repealing these standards demonstrates, once again, that this administration is choosing to protect polluters’ profits while asking our families to absorb the costs in higher bills, more pollution, and poorer health. Latino communities should not be treated as sacrifice zones for the fossil fuel industry. We will not accept a future where polluters get a free pass and our families are left with the bill. We will continue to make our voice heard and fight for the health and wellbeing of our communities.”

Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder and CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action:

We, American Jews who care about the climate and our collective future, are appalled and heartbroken by this unconscionable move that will result in countless deaths and will threaten the very livability of our planet. The fact that the first Jewish administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency – who has made a public display of his alleged commitment to Jewish values – is announcing this during the High Holidays makes it even more egregious.  

During this season, we pray: "On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed: How many shall pass away and how many shall be born; who shall live and who shall die; who shall live out their allotted time and who shall depart before their time; who [shall perish] by water and who by fire..."

Mr. Zeldin and the Trump administration have decided that many shall die in order to enable corporate polluters and billionaires to get even richer. This decision will accelerate the heating of our planet; endanger the lives of people in frontline communities who live and work near power plants; and delay our nation’s transition to clean energy (which is more affordable and safe). It is as if Mr. Zeldin is making a mockery of this most sacred time on the Jewish calendar. 

Phyllis Cuttino, President and CEO of The Climate Reality Project: 

“Today, the Trump Administration’s EPA has, yet again, shown how little it cares about the health and safety of Americans and our climate by repealing nearly all of the provisions of the commonsense 2024 power plant standards. Even worse, EPA’s new proposal would also prevent any future administration from limiting power plant pollution in the years ahead. While clean air and a livable planet are priceless, the human and financial costs of power plant pollution are well-documented: asthma attacks and hospitalizations, loved ones lost to lung disease and cancer, climate-driven extreme weather disasters devastating lives and homes, and escalating insurance premiums. Yet, the Trump Administration’s action today ensures that the crippling costs and burdens of power plant pollution will continue to be borne by our families and generations to come, all to save wealthy fossil fuel plant operators from the comparatively minor costs of doing the right thing. It is an immoral and corrupt act. Escalating electricity demand across the United States can and should be met by cheap and dependable clean energy that saves people money, creates jobs, reduces planet-warming emissions, and keeps communities safe from harmful pollution. Despite the Trump Administration’s continuous efforts to halt progress on behalf of the trillion-dollar fossil fuel industry, the just transition to clean energy is still stubbornly underway across the globe. The Climate Reality Project will continue to work with local and state leaders to reduce harmful emissions and protect our families in the wake of federal rollbacks.”

‍