### Testimony ofJean Sideris in support of EPA's Power Plant Carbon Standard Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2011-0660 On behalf ofthe Union of Concerned Scientists, 

### May24, 2012

Thank you for the opportunitytotestify today in support of EPA's power plant carbon standard. My name is Jean Sideris and Iam with the Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS is the nation's leading science-based nonprofitworkingfor a healthy environment and asafer world. Iam here on behalfof UCS's more than 350,000 supporters, and networkof morethan 18,000scientists to show strong supportfor the EPA's efforts to reduce carbon emissions from coal and oil fired power plants underthe Clean Air Act. UCS works on advancing awareness of both the science ofclimate change and solutions to help lower emissions and mitigate the worst impacts ofclimate change.
The EPA's actions are grounded in science. The threat posed by unchecked climate change has been clearly articulated by numerous national and international scientific organizations, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Ifwe fail to make deep reductions in carbon emissions, we will greatly increase the risk ofserious economic, public health and environmental consequences including sea level rise, extremeweather events, increased risks of asthma and heat stress, a strain on water resources and the loss or degradation of vital ecosystems. Today, Iwould like to highlightthe risks to public health. Iwould like to enter into the record a letter signed by 356 physicians, registered or advanced practice nurses, and public health experts withaMS, MPH, or PhD. The letter, "An Open Letter from Health Professionals in supportofthe Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency," urges U.S. policy makers "to supportthe Environmental Protection Agency's ability underthe Clean Air Act totake action that will protect public health and address climate change."The letter includes endorsers from 48 states and the District ofColumbia. It calls attention tothe professional organizations that have already pointed outthe health impacts ofclimate change (American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Nursing Association, and the American Public Health Association). The most likely health impacts in the U.S. include heatrelated illness, water-borne disease, and mental health impacts from coping with extreme weather. The mostvulnerable populations are children, the elderly and the poor. The Clean AirAct has a long history of protecting public health. In 2010 alone, the science-based Clean Air Act prevented an estimated 160,000 premature deaths and millions ofcases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease-annual benefits that are projected to grow duringthe next decade.
We believe that EPA's draft proposal to limit carbon emissions from new power plants is an importantfirst step to putting our nation on a path to reducing global warming emissions and avoidingthe most catastrophic impacts ofclimate change. Setting an ambitious but achievable standard that is applied uniformlyto all fossilfuel fired plants will help ensure atransition to cleaner generation sources over time.
Ofcourse, these standards for new power plants are not enough to address the threat ofclimate change. Reducing emissions from the power sector requires that
we also set standards forthe existing fleet of power plants. Nowthatthe EPA has moved to regulate emissions from new power plants underthe Clean AirAct, it must move quicklyto regulate emissions from existing power plants. Ultimately, otherforms ofstrong action will be required to achieve the full scale ofdeep reductions needed to reduce or avoid some ofthe worst impacts of climate change, butthese are very necessary and importantfirst steps. We thank the EPA for taking this first step and look forto continued action to address the climate challenge.
Thank you