- -

Testimony of Frank Szollosi 

National Wildlife Federation 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Public Hearing on 

Proposed Carbon Pollution Standard 

May24, 2012 

Good afternoon, my name is Frank Szollosi, Regional Outreach Coordinator working at 

National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I live in 

Toledo, Ohio. 

The threat climate changes poses to Great Lakes is real, already happening, is destructive 

to wildlife, fisheries, habitat, and disruptive and costly to human systems, such as 

agriculture, tourism, real estate, transportation, and infrastructure. 

Lake Superior is among the fastest warming lakes in the world. 
Evaporation increases snow and precipitation- costing cities more money from snow 

removal to localized flooding; decreases lake levels, hurting property values along the 

shore and requiring vast, expensive new capital expenditures; expands the reach of 

invasive species, including the warm-water loving Asian Carp; creates winter wave 

activity that destroys eggs of fall spawning native fish species critical to Great Lakes 

economy and heritage, and increases erosion. 

It's important to note that Superior feeds the other Great Lakes. Lake levels in Lake 

Michigan and Lake Huron may drop by as much as 4.5 feet due to a combination of 

decreased precipitation and increased air temperature and evapotranspiration. 

Groundwater will be impacted, as aquifer levels and recharge rates may drop. 

Lower lake levels and rising temperatures (both in the air and water) could significantly 

impact fisheries, wildlife, wetlands, shoreline habitat, and water quality in the Great 

Lakes region. 

Tourism, shipping and agriculture is also be vulnerable to climate change impacts. 

For example, Michigan cherry harvest is down 80% as a result of the warm winter and 

hard fre.eze- the state produces 3/4th of all U.S. tart cherries- and for the first time in 

their history, Michigan cherry businesses are importing cherries from Poland and 

2 
elsewhere. Apples and peaches have been adversely impacted as well. Jobs have been 

lost. $190 million in business profit lost. Last week, the Michigan Legislature passed a 

resolution asking President Obama and the Secretary of Agriculture for federal disaster 

aid. 

Water shortages in other regions will raise the threat of Great Lakes diversions. 

Old smokestacks emit 35,000 to 40,000 thousand pounds of mercury every year into the 

air, water, land, food, bodies of humans and wildlife - contributing to incidences of 

cancer, shorter lives, less healthy lives. 

In fact, Midwest utilities are responsible for the greatest share of carbon pollution in the 

U.S. 

National Electric Power Net Electricity Coal-fired 

Rank in Sector C02 Generated from Electricity As 

C02 Emissions Coal Percentage of 

Emissions In million In megawatt-hours Total Electric 

from Electric metric tons Generation 

Power sector 

Illinois 6 105.7 7,968 47.7% 

Indiana 3 124.2 8,352 91.4% 

Michigan 12 77 5,392 65.8% 

Minnesota 27 37.5 2,256 52.0% 

Ohio 2 128.7 9,913 88.9% 

New York 20 47 1,033 10.0% 

Pennsylvania 4 123.8 8,835 50.5% 

Wisconsin 19 49.3 3,125 66.6% 

Source: U.S. Energy lnform•tlon Administration, St.te Energy Analysis, June 2010 

In conclusion, clean air standards create jobs, pure and simple, by driving growth in 

cleaner forms of energy. We need a Carbon Pollution Standard not only for new power 

3 
plants, but also for existing fossil-fuel power plants. Climate change poses great risks to 

public health, to Midwest agriculture and critical Great Lakes fishing and hunting habitat, 

and adds significant costs to businesses and taxpayers. It's time for public policy to catch 

up with established science and economic analysis. We must stand up for this and future 

generations. 

4