Trump Environmental Protection Agency has just announced its proposal to “replace” America’s Clean Power Plan, our only plan to curb the impacts of climate pollution from dirty sources like coal power plants. Make no mistake — this proposal is anything but “clean.”
This proposal is an outrage — nobody voted to make America dirty again.
Here are 6 reasons this proposal is an absolute scandal:
- This proposal means more dirty and dangerous pollution will be coming out of smokestacks across the country.
- Before this plan’s goal of getting more coal power plants back up and running can be carried out, mercury rules will need to be relaxed — rules that exist to protect our children from the harmful impacts of mercury. Mercury poses a danger in utero, where it can easily cross the placenta and cause severe damage to infants’ developing brains. This is a dangerous sign of rollbacks to come.
- Increased pollution poses a real threat to the health of our children, the elderly, and ALL Americans. Particulates from burning fossil fuels lead to heart and lung complications for children and adults across America, while climate change increases the risk of asthma. This proposal would lead to over 1,000 additional deaths from air pollution in 2030 alone, relative to the Clean Power Plan, according to the EPA itself.
- At a time when the impacts of climate change on our families and communities have never been more obvious, the Trump Administration is turning its back on reality. Every day Americans are living with these impacts: severe wildfires, extreme flooding, and devastating super-storms. This proposal would only make climate change worse.
- Who stands to gain from this Dirty Power Plan? Not the coal miners dying of black lung disease, which is on the rise again. The winners in this scandal are the billionaire coal barons, men like Trump’s Palm Beach pal Chris Cline and Acting Administrator Wheeler’s former employer Robert E. Murray. This proposal exists to help a few billionaire coal barons make a few more billions.
- Dozens of states are already working to reduce climate pollution and seriously address climate change. Yet this proposal would completely undermine states’ leadership, adding more expensive, dirty energy into the mix that will further exacerbate climate change. When a neighboring state starts polluting heavily again it undermines these states’ progress. The global problem of climate change is urgent and needs all hands on deck.
Put a stop to this cynical dirty power scam that would expose millions of Americans to more pollution.
As parents, we have the responsibility to speak out on behalf of our children when EPA fails to do so. It’s up to all of us to make sure our children’s health, safety, and future are protected.
DEMAND A CLEAN POWER PLAN THAT PROTECTS CHILDREN’S HEALTH