July 30, 2014 Chris Carnevale, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602

Comments on the Proposed Clean Power Plan 

# energy.**~**

Good morning. My name is Chris Carnevale and I work forthe Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. I am from Charleston, South Carolina and I am speaking in support ofplacing limits on carbon pollution to protecttreasured places like Charleston and other coastal communities in the Southeast.

Charleston is a place ofsignificant cultural and historical heritage, but the impacts ofclimate change-such as sea level rise and ocean acidification-threaten our way of life, and ourconnection to past generations.

Charleston has held the designation ofthe Best City to Visit in the U.S. by both Conde Nast Magazine and Travel 

### & Leisure Magazine forthe last several years. If you have visited Charleston, you knowwhy. You knowthat ifthe walls ofthe buildings could speak, they could tell you stories spanning hundreds ofyears. The walls ofthe Powder Magazine on Cumberland Street would tell you about the original fortification ofCharles Town and battles between South Carolinian colonists and Native Americans, French, and Spanish, and later, fighting an American warfor independence. Those ofthe grand mansions south of Broad Street would speak ofthe immense wealth generated by King Cotton, whilethe Emanuel AME Church on Calhoun Streetwould tell aboutthe slave rebellion plotted by one ofthe church's founders. Fort Sumter's ramparts would talk about the first shots ofthe Civil War, fired right there in Charleston Harbor, and the County courthouse would tell the story of hostingthe first court case to desegregate public schools in America.

Yet these monuments, which serve as atangible linkto our past, are immensely vulnerableto flooding from sea level rise. All ofthem are at less than 10feet above sea level and some are as low as three. Meanwhile the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration projects as much as 6.6 feet ofglobal sea level rise overthe course ofthis century alone. Notonlywould this mean losing many national treasures likethese to inundation but also that we would lose much of the backbone ofCharleston's current economy. Visitors come hereto participate in our rich history, byvisiting National Historic Monuments, orsimply bytaking in the ambiance while strolling along our cobblestone streets.

But, it's notjustthe built environmentthat gives Charleston its quintessentially Southern charm and deep sense of history-Charleston would not be completewithout its natural beauty as well. Southern Live Oaks, draped in Spanish moss, are
an icon ofthe South and are abundant here, liningthe driveways of historic plantations and sea island boulevards. Some were even here well before Europeans arrived. The Angel Oak on Johns Island, for example, is thoughtto be as old as one thousand, five hundred years. Not only is itsupposed to have hosted ceremonies for Creek Indian tribes, but also has served as a place of refuge and recreation for families for generations. Yet these live oaks may become threatened
as saltwater encroaches upon their root zones due to sea level rise-particularly those alongside tidal sources ofwater.

Furthermore,the saltwater marshes are hometo all sorts ofvaluable aquatic creatures, includingthose that have formed the basis ofthe Lowcountry'sfood traditions for many, manyyears-shrimp and grits, she crab soup, and oysters, to
name afew. Yet these creatures are in peril from the impacts ofclimate change, too. Salt water intrusion, combined with drought, has raised salinity levels in our marshes enough to begin killing our marsh grasses, which provide necessary habitatto many ofour heritage seafoods, while ocean acidification from excess atmospheric carbon compounds the risk.

As you can gatherfrom what I'm saying, Charleston is a place overflowingwith rich history and culture, rooted in the built environment, natural landscape, and culinary traditions. Yet these things, which serve as critical links to our past, for our enjoyment in the present, and means of prosperity in the future, are all jeopardized by carbon-fueled climate change.

Charleston and South Carolina are not alone in facing these threats. Manycoastal cities in the Southeast, such as Wilmington, Savannah, Miami, and Tampa, have completely unique cultural and environmental assets that have endured for centuries, yet are nowfacing catastrophic impacts because ofclimate change. I personally would like to continue to enjoythese treasures forthe rest of my life, and I'd like forfuture generations to enjoythem as much as ourgeneration has. It is forthis reason that I wish to express great supportfor limiting carbon pollution from power plants.

Thank you.