### Testimony of LuCinda Hohmann in support of EPA's Power Plant Carbon Standard On behalf ofthe Union of Concerned Scientists 

### May24, 2012

Thank you forthe opportunitytotestifytoday in support of EPA's power plant carbon standard. My name is LuCinda Hohmann and I am with the MidwestOffice ofthe Union ofConcerned Scientists. UCS is the nation's leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Iam here on behalfof UCS's morethan 350,000 supporters, and networkof more than 18,000 scientists to show strong supportforthe EPA's efforts to reduce carbon emissions from coal and oil fired power plants underthe Clean Air Act. UCS works on advancing awareness of both the science of climate change and the solutions to help lower emissions and mitigatethe worst impacts ofclimate change.
There are many reasons to reduce carbon emissions, and many ofthose reasons you've heard abouttoday. Iwant to use mytime with you todayto pull all of those reasons together and emphasize the diversity and volume ofsupport for this rule.
In mywork, I have personallytraveled the Midwest region extensively overthe last 7 years and have had conversations with literallythousands of individual citizens concerned about climate change. I've worked with scientists, economists, and business leaders; engineers, concerned parents, and farmers, justto name a few. These individuals all have very different perspectives, but all agree we need to reduce carbon emissions and transition to a clean energy economy. Let me explain:
Igrew up on afarm in rural Wisconsin. And I can tell you first hand that no one cares more aboutthe changing climate than Wisconsin dairyfarmers. One example of how climate change is impactingfarmers is extreme heat. Extreme heat puts an enormous amount of physical stress on dairy cattle and any dairyfarmer will tell you that milking cows experiencing high levels of physical stress will decline in milk production. During one of my recent trips to Ohio, Ispent an afternoon with the President of Dovetail Solar and Wind. Dovetail Solar and Wind is a small firm that specializes in renewable energy system design and installation. The President spent the afternoon filling me in on how he started his company 17years ago with 5 employees and today employs morethan 40 full time, well-paid staff. Any savvy business owner will tell you thatto stay ahead in the business world you have to be on the cutting edge of innovation.
And justa couple ofweeks ago Iwas at a clean energy event in Michigan and I asked the woman sitting nextto me why she decided to come to such an eventand she didn't say aword, but instead pointed tothe young boy beside her. Any parent will tell you that one ofthe most important goals in life is to create a betterworld fortheir child.
With me today, I have 320 comments signed by concerned citizens from Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Today Iwould like to enter into the record these 320 comments in support ofthe EPA's standards to limit carbon emissions from new power plants. But Iwantto emphasize thatthese comments are just a small sample ofthe hundreds ofthousands of people across the country who support action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect our health, and transition to a clean energy economy. The diversity and volume ofsupport for this rule is unmistakable.
We applaud the EPA for moving forward with these carbon standards for new power plants. We request thatyou move quicklyto finalize them and we urge you to issue strong carbon standards for existing power plants without delay. Ultimately, otherforms of strong action will be required to achieve the full scale ofdeep reductions needed to reduce or avoid some ofthe worst impacts of climate change, butthese are very necessary and importantfirst steps.
Thank you for the opportunityto speak with you today.