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Good Morning, my name is lack Sears; I am a rising sophomore majoring in Biology and 

Public Health at Colby College and I am from Potomac, Maryland. 

Climate change is the most pressing issue facing my generation and generations to come 

and power plants are one of the largest contributors to this problem. This is why EPA's 

new rules to limit carbon pollution from power plants are so important and are a great 

first step for combating climate change. 

The young people of America are committed to the environment and we are more than 

ready to let our voices be heard. We proved this at the XL dissent protest earlier this 

year and will again this fall in New York at the Peoples Climate March. We recognize that 

climate change is no longer a far off issue that might potentially have implications on 

our lives, but that the impacts of our changes to the Earth's nutrient cycles and green 

house effect are happening here and they are happening now and they are effecting 

every single American. 

Here on the East Coast, climate change is causing sea level rise that is encroaching on 

our shores and making storm surges much worse. Hurricanes and storms such as Sandy 

serve as a healthy reminder of the impact that climate change can have. While Sandy 

did not directly affect me, I have seen the power and damage that such storms can 

cause. 

I got my first lesson in this subject when I was 7 years old. I still remember seeing my 

house, or what was left of it, for the first time after Hurricane Isabel. The 123 foot tall 

tree fell across our garage crushing a car// then continued its fall// splitting my sisters 

bed in two // then through my parents headboard before coming to a rest having 

crushed half of my house and // what could have been my entire family. I have no 

words to describe how lucky I am that my parents had the foresight to evacuate before 

the hurricane, without it I would be the only surviving member of my family. 1 sit here 

in front of you today to remind you that while these storms have a hefty economic 
price tag certain losses go beyond damaged property. The impacts of these storms 

cannot be overstated, and if we want to avoid more storms like these, we must act on 

climate change and act now. 

The changes to our climate have an impact on our infrastructure, economy, and national 

security, but most importantly they impact the day-to-day lives of all Americans; from 

those affected by stronger storms on the East Coast to more severe droughts in the 

Mid-west and larger wildfires in the West. 

It is well understood that one of the largest contributors to climate change is carbon 

pollution, and power plants are the number one source of carbon pollution in the 

United States accounting for 40 percent of all emissions; this is why the EPA's new 

power plant rules to limit carbon emissions are so important. These new rules are a 

great first step in combating climate change and the losses both economic and human 

that accompany it. Through these rules we as a country will make great progress 

towards achieving a cleaner energy future for the benefit of generations to corne. We 

are already making great strides: wind energy is already producing enough electricity to 

power 15 million homes, and in 2013, a building went solar every 4 minutes. This is a 

fantastic opportunity to not only cut back on greenhouse gas emissions but to invest in 

clean renewable energy sources for the benefit of our economy and energy security. 

My generation agrees, climate change is the most important issue of our time// these 

rules are exactly what we need to begin addressing it // and there is better time than 

right now to act on climate change. I do not need another tree to fall through my 

house to remind me of power of climate change, I implore the EPA to finalize the clean 

power plan.