TESTIMONY OF DENNIS W. GROCE 

JULY 31, 2014 

EPA PROPSED RULE TO 

REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS FROM EXISTING POWER PLANTS 

Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602 

My name is Dennis W. Groce. I live in the town of North East, Pennsylvania, which is 

near Erie. I worship at St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church in North East, where I help 

our congregation and others in our responses to environmental concerns that face all of us 

every day. 

With only a few exceptions, I support the EPA proposal to limit carbon emissions from 

existing power plants. 

My support is motivated by the call heard in my faith tradition, the Bible's account in the 

book of Genesis, chapter 1, as calling us to do the very best we can to preserve and protect 

everything in a wise manner. 

While that is easy to say, it's often difficult to do. 

Many of those commenting on the EPA proposal are concerned about the effect these rules 

could have on employment and the economy. I am concerned about that too. I don't see it 

as a "one or the other" proposition, however. 

We certainly should take steps to reduce the impact of any job losses that occur. However, 

our country is strong enough and creative enough to fmd ways of reducing our production 

of climate changing carbon, while still addressing the economic dislocations that can result. 

We must fmd those ways, rather than splitting apart along ideological or economic lines 

that insist on one way to the exclusion of others. 

My wife and I live on the edge of Lake Erie. We watch the lake every day. We frequently 

walk the beach or kayak in the lake. We are awed by the size, beauty, and power of the 

lake. The entire system of the Great Lakes is one of the world's largest sources of fresh 

water that must be protected. 

We are concerned about the effect on Lake Erie of warming temperatures that will 
inevitably result from the release of carbon into the air. Wanner, shorter winters are known 

to affect the ecology of the lake. Perch and walleye are cool water species of fish and have 

been shown to decrease in numbers and viability after the wanner, shorter winters. Those 

species will be reduced in number as result of climate change. Aside from the ecological 

impact, this will take a toll on the recreational and commercial fishing on Lake Erie and 

other bodies of water. The recreational fishing alone is a tremendous part of the economy 

in our area. 

The warmer waters produce a cascade of changes in the Lake Erie ecology. As nutrients 

such as fertilizer wash into the warmer lake, algae growth is enhanced. When the algae 

ultimately dies and decays in the lake, the oxygen in the water can be depleted, further 

endangering fish and other organisms. My wife and I have observed the increased algae 

growth in the eight years we have lived on the shore of Lake Erie. 

Aside from our personal observations, we know that climate change has already taken its 

toll on the earth and its inhabitants. Droughts, intense storms, rising sea level, decreased 

food supplies, and increased disease all are a part of what we see unfolding. 

While I support the proposed rule in general, I actually prefer that EPA strengthen the 

proposal before finalizing it. The Union of Concerned Scientists has released a study 

indicating that combining more aggressive power plant standards with strong renewable 

and efficiency policies could cut power sector carbon emissions by 40 percent below 2013 

levels by 2020 and by more than 50 percent by 2030. This would put the U.S. in a position 

to lead the world, rather than almost catching up. I ask that the EPA adopt those measures 

to allow those more significant reductions in carbon emissions. 

Finally, I object to the title EPA has associated with this proposal. "Clean Power Plan" 

conveys the sense of absolute clean power. There is no such thing, and this proposal is 

certainly not achieving "clean power". Use of that term amounts to "greenwashing" for its 

appeal to environmentalists. Therefore, I request the name be changed to "Cleaner Power". 

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.