Good afternoon. My name is Sylvia Glauster, and Iteach middle school here in Chicago. As a teacher, it's hard for me to make it to these sorts ofhearings, which are usuallyduring the school day. Issues ofenergy, pollution, and climate, however, are central issues ofour generation and as such are
never far from the classroom. When Iteach data analysis, scientific thought, or social responsibility,

we take the time to delve deeply into the issues students raise. Let me tell you, it's prettyterrifying to look out at those naYve faces and encourage them to really examine our system ofenergy production and its consequences for the first time. "Who cares aboutair pollution?" Iaskthem. "Well, who here has asthma?" Several children in every class raise their hands and the others nod; they see how this is serious business. "Did you know that toxic chemicals released by power plants can cause cancer'!" At this point, theyare quite upset. "And, what's more, the carbon dioxide released by burningfossil fuels is causing our entire climate and weatherpatterns to change in ways we are still struggling to understand." Motivated to continue researching on their own, various students have come back to the class to inform us oftheir findings: that the emissions from powerplants disproportionatelyaffect low-income and minority communities; that studies link asthma to energy-related emissions; and that right here in Chicago 41 people die eachyearas a resultofthe dirty powerplants we have fought so hard to close. Debating in a mock summit, students argue passionatelyaboutthe need for reduced carbon emissions to stabilize our climate and protect reliable food and water supplies. Ofcourse, outraged as theyare, these kids wantto fix the problem rightaway. We have solar panels, we have windmills, we have teams ofengineers ready to take on greenjobs like installing new energy systems and designing betterones. People are dying here! It's notjustthe people with lung diseases and asthma attacks, people unfortunate enough to live undera plant's smokestacks. People

are dying in escalating storms, starvingin the face ofcrop failures broughtabout by drought, and fighting in contlicts overincreasingly scarcerresources. To these students, it's clearthat the whole world is atstake. "So why hasn'tanyone done anything?!" they demand. Too young to be either cynical or practical, no excuse is acceptable to them. They're right; our currentregulations are notacceptable. Why haven't we taken action at the national level? We have known that carbon dioxide from fossil fuels causes dangerous changes in

our atmosphere since before Iwas born, 30 years ago. We have known thatthe toxic chemicals in

our fuel become the toxic chemicals in the air we breathe, the rain thatfalls, and the food we eat. And yet, we are not pushing the electrical industryto do better? We have no national limits on the carbon pollution that is hijacking ourfuture security? People talk about our children's children, butwhile those people have been talking their children grew up and those hypothetical future generations are real people with tough questions. And so Istep forward and stand among my students and say, "I don't know. I don'tknow why we haven't done anythingyet. I'm frustrated too, I've been waiting my whole life, but now Iam an adult and,you know what? Now it's on us. It's time for us to lead." This regulation is an opportunityfor us to do something. It's an opportunityto lead in the direction ofclean energyand away from deadly complacency. Though this regulation is notas strict

as Iwould like and Ibelieve we should act much more aggressively, the move to regulate carbon pollution is a critical first step. That's why Iam here today, and not in my classroom. It's an opportunityfor me to return to my students and say, "Guess what? We are doing something about this problem. Our government really is working to save lives and keep businesses under controL Rememberthose dirty plants thatclosed down? Well, the new electricityis goingto have to be cleaner." Am Igoing to be able to say that? Are these regulations going to go through with their current standards or even stricter regulations that include existing power plants? Are other teachers and parents and elected officials going to be able to go home and say, "We're taking importantsteps. We're changing the waywe do things, we're reducing pollution, and we're moving forward."? Ihope

so. It's on us.