In response to the plan, Greenpeace USA Executive Director Annie Leonard said:
“The Clean Power Plan is an important step forward in the United States’ effort to address climate change, but everyone who has paid attention to recent climate science knows it is woefully inadequate on its own. If the Obama administration is serious about leaving behind both a positive climate legacy and a habitable planet for our children, it will stop the drilling and mining of publicly owned fossil fuels and reject Shell Oil’s dangerous Arctic oil drilling plan.
“Last week, we witnessed ordinary people go to extraordinary lengths, hanging from a bridge for 40 hours or kayaking in front of a giant icebreaker, to ensure that we all have a livable climate. We need President Obama to show that same kind of courage by keeping fossil fuels in the ground, starting with the rejection of Shell’s final permit to drill in the Arctic.
“It was the President himself who reminded us that our children will ask, ‘did we do all that we could when we had the chance to deal with this problem?’
“With the release of today’s Clean Power Plan, it’s clear that President Obama is serious about cementing his climate legacy, but until he takes steps to ensure the vast majority of fossil fuels remain in the ground, his legacy is as vulnerable as an Arctic Ice Sheet.
“In addition, the President must use his leadership he’s showing in this country to not just join but encourage all countries to sign a legally binding agreement to reduce climate pollution in Paris.”
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Media Contact
Rodrigo Estrada, Greenpeace USA, [email protected], 202-344-9292
