“This final “tailoring” rule is a first step toward reducing the
devastating impact of the nation’s biggest smokestacks on the
planet’s climate, oceans, and quality of life.
“The Clean Air Act has been successfully used to reduce
pollution for four decades. Now, three years after the Supreme
Court ruled that EPA must come to grips with this problem, we will
finally see needed requirements to reduce carbon dioxide pollution
caused by the burning of coal and other fossil fuels at large
facilities like power plants and incinerators.
“Unfortunately, this final rule is weaker than the proposed
rule, in that it has raised the threshold of covered emissions to
100,000 tons per year (from 25,000 tons per year), which reduces
covered sources from around 13,000 to less than 5,000. Nonetheless,
these facilities are responsible for 64% of the nation’s global
warming pollution from stationary sources and represent about 40%
of the total U.S. contribution to global climate change.
“Reducing carbon dioxide pollution under the Clean Air Act is
also crucial for children suffering from health issues such as
asthma, which is exacerbated by nearby smokestacks.
“Cutting CO2 from the biggest polluters is also necessary to
protect the marine environment, coastal tourism, and marine
industries already suffering from the rising acidification that is
caused by carbon dioxide absorbed into the ocean.
“Given the downward direction of climate legislation developing
in the Senate, this action by EPA is an indication that the federal
government can take climate change seriously, and is a refreshing
signal to sectors throughout the economy that are key to ensuring
an America run by clean energy.”
Contact:
Kyle Ash, Senior Legislative Representative, 202 319 2417, [email protected]
Molly Dorozenski, Media Officer, 917-864-3724, molly.dorozenski@greenpeace. org
