STATEMENT OF ELIZABETH POYTHRESS, President, League ofWomen Voters of Georgia TO the EPA LISTENING SESSION, July 29, 2014, Atlanta, Georgia

Thank you forthis opportunityto speak on the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan. Also, thank you for conducting these regional hearings to allow for public comments on a broad scale.
The airwe breathe is critical to the health ofall Americans, and particularly critical for the young, old, and impaired. We as Americans are obligated to preserve our natural resocurces- including clean, breathable air!
It is the position ofthe League ofWomen Voters ofGeorgia and the other49 Leagues in all 50 states, thatwe, as responsible Americans, owe a profound moral obligation to our children and to future generationsto act nowto protectthem from the effects ofclimate change, which we know is caused in part by carbon pollution from power plants. We do have a moral obligation to protect our children and future generations. Iam heretodayto thank the EPA for providing our population with protection by adopting standards forthe 40% ofcarbon pollution from existing and new power plants in the United States. These emissions cause climate change and thousands ofdeaths every year. In Georgia, we are have been taking the necessary steps to cut carbon pollution. Between 2008 and 2011 carbon emissions in Georgia dropped 20 percent and through the EPA's Clean Power Plan, Georgia will have the flexibility to continue this positive momentum.
The standards proposed by the EPA are aggressive and ambitious. We urgethe EPA to do even moreto strengthen the proposal to recognize thetremendous potential for renewable energy and energy conservation. Cutting carbon emissions will protect public health by extending limits like the ones placed on arsenic, lead, mercuryand soot. Reducing emissions from existing power plants is critical to addressing the growing dangerthat climate change poses tothe health and welfare of U.S. citizens and people around theworld, as acknowledged by both leading climate scientists and the EPA.The American Lung Association, in its State oftheAir Report, states that millions ofAmericans across our country, including children and the elderly, live in areas that received an "F" rating for at least one air quality measure. In Georgia, the four major metropolitan counties, Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb and Gwinnett, have over 800, 000 children that are in these "F" rated areas. This is unacceptable and must be changed. Leading public health organizations, includingthe American Medical Association, theAmerican Lung Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Public Health Association have gone on record calling "climate change a serious public health issue." In Georgia alone 8.2 percent ofadults sufferfrom asthma, and across the countryasthma rates have doubled. Until the US can get a handle on the dirty air, exacerbated by the climate change caused by carbon pollution, we will continue to see thousands of premature deaths, respiratory disease and a higher risk ofasthma attacks.
On behalf ofthe children, and unborn generations ofchildren, the League of Women Voters of Georgia urges the EPA to adoptstrong carbon pollution standards for existing and new power plants and , to address one ofthe main
causes ofclimate change. The implementation ofstrong carbon pollution standard will protectthe health ofall Americans from its devastating impact.
Thank you, again, for providing the opportunityforthis public hearingto allowthe public to express their comments on this vital public health issue thatwill impact the citizens of Georgia and the United States.

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Elizabeth Poythress 1President PpuytiJress·@llvvga.org I www.lwvga.org u:fiC() 404.522.4598 I cell**40~.216.0454**

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