Connolly, Beyer, McEachin on rollback of Clean Power Plan

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), co-chair of the House Green Dogs, released the following statement on the Trump administration’s rollback of the Clean Power Plan.

“President Trump’s rollback of the Clean Power Plan is a giant step backwards and will have serious public health consequences. This does nothing to Make America Great Again and hands the 21st century clean energy economy to our global competitors.”

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) released the following statement after the Trump Administration released its proposal to gut the Clean Power Plan:

“President Trump and Acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler teamed up with their friends in the fossil fuel industry to release a plan that would open the floodgates to more carbon pollution across the country. The Administration’s proposal is a betrayal of the public trust that fails to uphold the EPA’s legal obligation under the Clean Air Act to protect Americans from pollution. The EPA’s own estimates released with this plan say it will lead to the premature deaths of thousands, an outcome which no government official should be willing to accept.

“Every day the Trump Administration is making it more difficult for us to act on climate change. During a time when wildfires are burning hotter, droughts are lasting longer, and floods are destroying coasts, we need ambitious environmental policies to safeguard public health and safety. This Dirty Power proposal is the opposite of what this country needs to keep Americans safe and fend off a dire threat to the planet.”

Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) issued this statement in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed Clean Power Plan replacement, the Affordable Clean Energy rule:

“This rollback will not only set us back decades in addressing the crisis of climate change, but will lead to significantly harmful public health impacts. By allowing more pollutants and dangerous emissions into the air and encouraging the continued use of old, dirty coal-burning power plants, the Trump Administration is taking our country backward – swiftly, dangerously and destructively.

“Not only would states be allowed to relax pollution rules for plants already needing improvements, but the plan also acknowledges that health costs would be real and significant. The EPA itself admits between 470 and 1400 premature deaths annually would occur in the next dozen years because of increased air pollution. Additionally, this plan would result in 48,000 new cases of exacerbated asthma by 2030.

“Reversing the Clean Power Plan is simply unacceptable. Our responsibility is to improve public health and leave this Earth safe for our children and grandchildren. This plan discards those basic principles and chooses fossil fuel corporations and their profits over the American people, their health, and their future.”