EPA Testimonial Clean Power Plan- In Favor Matthew). Nezbeth mattnezbeth@gmail.com 8-1-14
Good afternoon, my name is Matthew Nezbeth, and I am a soon to be graduate ofthe UniversityofPittsburgh. I'm here todayto voice myopinion, very strongly I might add, in favor ofthe EPA's Clean Power Plan. Icould sit here and read you a list ofscientific evidence that points, undeniably, to the fact that climate change is real, anthropogenic, and that we are already feeling the effects ofit today. But, that's notwhat I'm here to do. Iwould like to take, what Ibelieve to be a much
more productive and effective course in making a difference, by debunkingthe myth that climate change action is a battle ofcost andjobs versus the environment, because this simply could not be further from the truth.

In regards to costs, justin the last decade, advances in solar panel technology have brought the price ofsolar panels down from around $2jwattto as low as $0.52/watt. A SkW residential installation can be as low as $10,000, and when consideringthe 30% federal tax credit and other state-dependent incentives, you could have a solar system for as little as $4,000. Dependingon how you conserve energy, and the possibility ofa net-meteringagreementwith the local utility (being able to sell excess generation to the utility at retail price), the return on investment
can be faster than you would expect. The Department ofEnergy's Sun Shot Initiative is a decade long project focused on making solar energy completely cost competitive at about $0.06/kWh.just 3 years into the project, we are alreadyover 60% ofthe waythere. With further advances from funding and projects like this one, solar can become an economical and effective solution in the next few years.

When it comes tojobs, the idea ofinvestingin renewable energybecomes
even more appealing. Exactly how many people work in the coal industry? According to the Mine Health and SafetyAdministration, there were 137,361 coal-mining employees in 2012. With the rules proposed by the Clean Power Plan, many people, especially in the coal industry, fear for the loss oftheirjobs and falling on hard economic times. But, I'm here todayto tell you this does not have to be the
case. In 2013, a new solar projectwas installed every four minutes, and U.S. solar jobs grew by 20%. According to the Solar Foundation's National Solarjobs Census 2013, solar now employs 142, 698 American workers, at 18,000 locations in all SO states. The industryalso continues to createjobs more than 10 times faster than all other sectors ofthe U.S. economy. Solar industry employers expectto increase their workforce by 24% in the nextyear. With that said, I believe the EPA, working togetherwith the renewable energy industry, and the Department ofEnergy's Sun Shot Initiative, shouldwork hard to ensure that people who'sjobs might be adversely affected by the Clean Power Plan are well thought ofin the planning process. Iwould like to close with a quote, that happens to be a favorite ofmine, from john F. Kennedy's address at Rice University, Sept. 12, 1962, in which he was trying to persuade the American people to support a manned space flight to the moon. In this address he says: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, butbecause they are hard. [John F. Kennedy,Address atRice University, September 12 1962]"
Iknowthis was a differenttime and different circumstances, butwhere has that drive for progress gone? We are a countrybuilt on initiative and innovation, and we need to get back to that. NASA was able to put a man on the moon in a decade. I firmly believe that ifwe put our differences aside and come together, we can put together an effective plan to mitigate the effects ofclimate change, and help maintain a beautiful, livable planetfor many generations to come. It is time to stop making excuses and start making solutions for this global problem ofclimate change. The Clean Power Plan isn't the solution, butit's a large step in the right direction. Thankyou for yourtime.