The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition is in opposition to the Trump administration returning America to the days of pollution at the expense of Americans‘ health.
Leaders SEEC, including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko and Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Sean Casten, Mike Levin, and Chellie Pingree, alongside SEEC Member Rep. Kathy Castor are responding to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin’s decision to repeal strong pollution standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants.
“This reckless decision represents yet another assault on life-saving pollution protections that American communities rely on to live healthy lives,” the leaders said in a statement.
The EPA’s responsibility under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act is to set limits on pollution from power plants and protect the health and wellbeing of Americans.
“Just because Administrator Zeldin finds this fact inconvenient does not make it any less true. Section 111 is not a suggestion; it is the law. And the Supreme Court has affirmed that EPA is obligated to regulate greenhouse gas pollution. While Trump’s EPA might claim that U.S. power plants are not significantly contributing to global emissions and climate change, the science is clear. The U.S. is the second largest contributor to climate pollution in the world, and our power sector is our second most polluting sector. Overturning this rule would rob the American people of $370 billion in cumulative climate and health benefits over the next two decades, simply to line the pockets of wealthy polluters,” the leaders said.
The SEEC wrote two letters in March and July 2023 to encourage the EPA under the Biden Administration to finalize strong limits on carbon pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants through EPA’s authority under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act.
“Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence and broad public support for pollution protections, Donald Trump and his cronies are plowing ahead with their Polluters First agenda. We at SEEC understand that our job as public servants is to protect the freedoms of Americans to breathe clean air and drink clean water, not the freedoms of large polluting corporations to lay waste to our children’s health and future.”
The SEEC is a coalition of 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives that was founded in January 2009 to be a focused, active, and effective coalition for advancing policies that address climate change, promote clean energy innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, create family-sustaining clean jobs, protect our nation’s air, water, and natural environment, and promote environmental justice.
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Rebecca Barnabi
