By: Melody Reis, Federal Policy Director, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: July 8, 2025
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0124-0001
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Melody Reis, and I am the Federal Policy Director at Moms Clean Air Force. I support the Carbon Rule and am here to urge EPA not to roll back its protections. Strong climate pollution standards for power plants are vital for protecting families from the harmful greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming and endanger our health.
Fossil fuel power plants are responsible for about one quarter of climate pollution in the United States. As many of you are likely aware, here in the DC Metro area, we’re already seeing the effects of climate change.
Nine of DC’s 10 warmest years have occurred since 2012. Last year—2024—was our warmest year yet, with several records being broken. We had multiple consecutive days over 100 degrees last summer and multiple excessive heat warnings, which are issued when the heat index is expected to reach or exceed 110 degrees.
And this year, we’re just a few weeks into summer, but we’ve already experienced several days of dangerous temperatures during a recent heat dome. A concert at Nationals Park had to end early after people fainted in the heat. The Washington Monument was closed for three days due to safety concerns for visitors and staff. Metro and Amtrak had to slow their trains because rails expand in extreme heat, also a safety concern.
A local animal shelter had to find short-term foster arrangements for many of its dogs and cats when the air-conditioning stopped working. As the shelter’s executive director told the Washington Post, “People can speak up; animals can’t…They can’t tell us when it’s too much.” But the truth is, not all people can speak up or recognize when they’re in danger, and that includes young children.
Babies and small children’s temperatures rise 3-5 times faster than those of adults, their bodies have a harder time cooling down, and they may not be able to communicate that they’re dehydrated or overheating. Extreme heat is particularly dangerous for the most vulnerable among us, and we need to do more—not less—to fight the carbon pollution that’s making it worse and more frequent.
I urge EPA not to repeal the Carbon Rule, and thank you for your time.