Testimony Submitted to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602)

In support of U.S. EPA's Clean Power Rule Submitted by Barbara Bramble, National Wildlife Federation July 29, 2014

Thank you for the opportunity to submit formal testimony regarding EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan. My name is Barbara Bramble and I am attending this hearing in Washington DC, where I was born and raised. I am here to convey my strong support for the momentous action that EPA has taken to combat climate change — by setting limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants. AII of us have an obligation to protect our children and future generations, and especially the vulnerable human communities in low lying areas around the world, who will bear the brunt of more violent storms and sea level rise. We equally have an obligation to protect wildlife and our natural resources, which will see the impact of runaway climate change. The disruption of climate is presenting one of the greatest threats to wildlife today, and as a lover of gardening and an avid birder I applaud EPA for taking action to combat the root of the problem — carbon pollution. I have witnessed the damage of extreme weather, including hurricanes affecting my friends in coastal North Carolina and New Jersey; and out of control wildfires threatening the homes of other friends in the West. The changes have already affected wild bird migrations and planting seasons. We will need to take strong action to reverse the course we are on, and I applaud EPA for taking this significant step. The U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan is indeed a major step in the right direction — this plan will help speed the way towards investments in wildlife-friendly sources of clean energy. Just as important, this new rule will help convince other countries that we are at last serious about the climate, which will in turn encourage them to take their own important steps. Our procrastination for all these years has enabled other countries to hide behind our inertia. By lowering reliance on coal-burning for power production in the U.S., the Clean Power Plan will also help to protect wildlife: by reducing harmful emissions like mercury, which poisons fish (and threatens all who eat them) and reducing toxic leaks from coal waste ponds. As you finalize the standard, I ask that you work to ensure that it achieves the deepest reductions possible, by requiring states to use wildlife-friendly renewable energy such as wind and solar, and energy efficiency, and not burning more natural gas, or using biofuels that burn up whole trees or cause indirect land use change (ILUC). EPA should strengthen the standard to reflect this potential. Others have spoken in this hearing about the health and economic benefits of the proposed rule, so I won't repeat those. But I wanted to mention just one point —while the solar and wind industries already employ more people than does the coal industry, we should not forget that there are thousands ofpeople who do depend on those coal jobs. They should be provided opportunities for a positive future in

the new energy economy, or other fields. The National Wildlife Federation looks forward to working with you to finalize and implement the Clean Power Rule. We urge you to do everything you can to ensure it is strengthened through the process — wildlife and future generations are counting on your leadership.