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ADVDCA."i'lr S 0F NEW 1°ORK 

YOUR GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG 

'I'estimony 

Conor Bambrick 

Environmental Advocates of New York 

before 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency 

Public Hearings: Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule 

July 29, 2014 

Climate pollution is a having a major impact on our health, our environment and our 

economy. Poor air quality is making our children sick and shortening the lives of some 

seniors. Rising temperatures, prolonged heat waves and severe storms are costing our 

economy billions in lost production and infrastructure and property damage. In directing 

the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move forward with the Clean Power 

Plan, President Obama has demonstrated the leadership needed to finally addresa one of " 

the root causes of our changing climate. 

The proposed rule, establishes the first national standard for regulating climate pollution 

from the country's power sector. It comes on the heels of a previous rule that sets carbon 

standards for plant to be built in the future. That standard garnered the support of a bipartisan group of 50 New York State Legislators. 

Environmental Advocates of New York Page 1 of 3 
The Clean Power Plan aims to cut power plant climate pollution by 30-percent of 2005 

levels by the year 2030. Since fossil-fuel fired power plants are responsible for one-third 

of the nation's climate altering greenhouse gas emissions, it is only correct to target them 

for reduction. These actions will benefit the health and safety of our most vulnerable 

populations, driving a 25-percent cut in soot and smog causing pollution - key contributors to heart and respiratory diseases. Asthma is especially prevalent in New York, with 

an estimated 1.7 million people suffering from the disease. According to the New York 

State Comptroller, the state's asthma-related Medicaid expenditures rose more than 26- 

percent in the last five years adding up to $1.3 billion in health care costs and lost workforce productivity. Reducing power plant pollution will help avoid 2,700 to 6,600 premature deaths, 150,000 asthma attacks in children and billions of dollars in health care costs 

nationwide. 

By setting state-by-state goals for climate pollution reductions, the EPA is providing the 

states with the flexibility they need to develop innovative plans designed to spur job 

growth in the clean energy sector, lower consumer utility costs and improve health outcomes. New York State is uniquely positioned as a leader on this front. The state already 

has strict power plant carbon pollution standards for yet to be built plants and our participatio>i in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) — and the successful clean energy and energy efficiency programs it has spawned — are being showcased as a national 

model. ' 

Today in the RGGI region, climate pollutant emissions from the power sector are more 

than 40-percent lower than they were when RGGI was initiated in 2005. New rules implemented in 2014, lowered the regional carbon cap by 45-percent, locking in emission 

reductions already achieved and placing the region on a path to cut carbon pollution by 

an additional 10-percent by 2018. 

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The multi-state initiative operates as a carbon cap and trade program, with power plant 

owners required to purchase allowances for each ton of CO2 produced. RGGI allowance 

auctions have, thus far, generated over $1.75 billion. Those funds have been sent back to 

the states where they have been invested in a variety of consumer benefit initiatives, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, direct bill assistance, and climate pollution 

reduction programs. New York has benefitted from well over $600 million in auction 

proceeds, of which over $400 million bas been allocated to renewable power, efficiency 

and clean energy technology and market innovation programs — creating jobs, lowering 

consumer costs and driving further reductions in emissions. To date, RGGI programs 

have provided energy bill savings and other benefts to more than 130,000 households 

and 2,500 businesses spanning all of New York State's 62 counties. 

Environmental Advocates supports the Clean Power Plan and strongly encourage the 

EPA to offer up New York's and the other Northeast states' experience with RGGI as a 

demonstration of climate action driving positive economic, public health and environmental outcomes. In addition, we urge the EPA to establish carbon reduction targets for 

New York that will drive the state to continue to improve upon and expand its commitments to climate pollution reductions and investments in clean energy across all economic sectors. 

Environmental Advocates of New York Page 3 of 3