Peter Bahouth US C limate Action Network Testimony at EPA Public Hearing in Washington , DC Proposed Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants Docket ID No. EPA- HQ- OAR- 201 1 -0660 May 24,20 12
Th i s testimony is from Peter Bahouth, Executive Director of the US C lim ate Action Network. I am Lara Levison, Program Director and Domestic Policy Director USCAN , and I ' m presenting the testimony on Mr. Bahouth's behalf.
I am here to express the support ofUSCAN and its member groups for the proposed Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants. This proposed rule takes an important step forward at the federal level to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions that are contributin g significantly to globa l climate change

. The US C limate Action Network is the largest US network of organizations focused on c lim ate change , with over 85 member groups
. Our purpose is to support and help coordinate these organizations ' efforts towards effective , equitab le , and sustainab le strategies to reduce carbon pollution a nd promote a clean energy future at a ll leve l s of the debate: local , state , federal and international.
USCAN i s al so an affiliate of the C lim ate Action Network (CAN -Int ernational), a worldwide network of more than 700 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) 

### in more than 90 countries working to promote government, private sector and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to eco l ogi call y sustai nabl e leve l s. USCAN's members include a wide range of non-profit organizations whose individual members represent a broad spectrum of Americans. Many of o ur member gro up s focus on climate change specifically , or environmental issues more broadly ; these include state , regional, national, and globa l organizations

. Because c lim ate change will affect

- and is already affecting

- so many aspects of s ociety, organizations representin g many interests and constituenc ies belong to USCAN's network as we ll , including groups focused on the following topics: health , civ il rights , faith, business, animal we lfare, international development, energy efficiency , affordab l e energy , renewable energy, environmental justice , think tank research , green jobs , s portsmen and anglers , w ildlif e , sustainab le transportation, and science. A li st of USCAN ' s members is included at the end of this testimony.
The proposed Carbon Pollution Standard is relevant to Americans ' day-to-day concerns about the health of our fami li es and the state of the economy. Limiting industrial carbon

1810 16th St. NW Washington , DC 20009 Tel: 202-609-9846 Fax :202-536-5503 www.usclimatenetwork

. orgpollution from new power plants is critical to protecting the health of our children and families. Doctors, nurses, scientists, and other experts note that carbon pollution i s dangerous for children because rising temperatures caused by climate change is likely to make smog pollution worse , which will trigger asthma attacks and permanently damage children's lungs

. Seniors are also particularly susceptible to the dangers of air pollution

. Regarding the economy, cleaning up carbon pollution will spark innovation in clean technologies and create Americanjobs to manufacture , install , and operate these technologie s. According to a February 2012 report by the Economic Policy Institute , modernizing coal and industrial power plants will create jobs. A March 2012 study by the Department of Labor estimated that the transition to cleaner energy and technology has already created 3.1 million jobs , and as we move from old power plants to new ones that rely on clean technology , we will create even more jobs. Again , the proposed carbon pollution rule is important in relation to topics that Americans think about every day and recognize as relevant to our daily lives , namel y the health of our families and the strength ofthe US economy
. The rule is also critically important from a longer-term perspective

. USCAN's members recognize that climate change is already reshaping lives and our planet in myriad ways , and that we must seize the opportunities we have now to reduce carbon pollution and slow down global warming.
At the international climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 2 009 , The

" Copenhagen Accord" that resulted from the international climate conference in December 2009 recogni zed that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere should be stabilized at a level that would keep the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius to prevent dangerous changes to the climate.
Just last week , the chief economist for the International Energy Agency , Fatih Birol , warned that it is becoming increasingly unlikely that we will be able to keep the increase in global temperature s below 2 degrees Celsius in this century

. "What I see now with existing investments for plants under construction

. . .we are seeing the door for a 2 degree Celsius target about to be closed and closed forever , " said the International Energy Agency ' s Dr

. Birol. "This door is getting slimmer and slimmer in terms ofphysical and economic possibility." According to the lEA , thi s is because such a large amount of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions is alread y locked in by ex isting power plants , factorie s, buildings , and other infrastructure

. 1
The evidence of climate change is becoming harder to ignore , as we witness unusual bouts of extreme weather and record warm temperatures. The past 12 months , from May 2011 to April2012 , was the warmest 12-month period on record in the contiguou s United States s ince record keeping began

. Those 12 months also included the second hottest

1 International Energ y A g ency pres s r e lea se , "The world is lockin g it self into an un s us tainable energy future whi c h w o uld have far-rea chin g c o ns equenc e s, lEA warn s in its lates t W o rld Energy Outlo o k , " L o ndon , Nov ember 9 , 201 2

.summer, the fourth hotte s t winter, and the hotte s t March ?
And Ame ri cans are noticing . They are making the connection between extreme weather and clim ate c ha nge. Accordi ng to a March 20 12 po 11 , 3 82 percent of Americans report that they were affected by one or more extreme weather even t or di sas ter in the las t year. In response to the stateme nt, " g lobal warming is affecting the weather in the US," 70 perce nt agreed s trongl y or so mewhat.
We musl move forward at the local , state , national , and internat ional leve ls to s low down climate c hange. The carbon pollution rule for new power plants is a s tep in the right directi o n at th e national leve l for the US. Some ofUSCAN 's group s see it as a significant s tep ; others see it as a very in sufficient step, but a ll agree that it i s a step forward , and that EPA s hould move swiftly to cover existing power plants as we ll.
Thu s far , mo re than one million comments have been submitted to EPA in support of th e propo se d Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants. Thank you for the opportunity for the US Climate Action Network to join our vo ice with c itize n s around t he country in s upport of curbing carbon pollution to protect public hea lth, create c lean and green jobs , and s low down dange rou s climate change.



### USCAN Member Organizations
3SO.org Act io nAid USA Allian ce for Affordable Energy Allian ce to Sav e Energy (ASE) Avaaz CARE U SA Center for Biological Diversi ty Center for Clean Air Policy Center f o r International Environmental L aw (CIEL) Ceres Chesapeake Climate Action N e twork (CCAN) Citi ze n s for Penn sylvania' s Future (Penn Futur e ) Clean Air

- Cool Planet Clean Wat e r Action Climate Protection Campaign Climate Solutions Coalition on the Environment and Jewi s h Life (COEJL) Con servation Internation a l

2 National Ocean ic and Atmo s ph e ric Ad mini st rat io n , Nat io na l C limat ic Data Ce nte r , " State of th e C li m ate Nat io n a l Overv ie w , Ap r il 20 12 ," h J!p ://w ww. nc d c. n oaa
.gov/ s o tc/ n atio n al/20 12/4. 3 Ya l e a nd George Maso n Uni vers ityConservation Law Foundation EarthDay Network Earth justice Ecoequity Education for Global Warming Solutions Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment 

### * Energy Action Coalition Environment Action Association Environment America Environment Northeast (ENE) Environmental & Energy Study Institute (EESI) Environmental Defense Fund Environmental Investigation Agency Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) FHI360 Fresh Energy Friends Committee on National Legislation Friends of the Earth (FoE) Georgetown Climate Center 

### * Green For All Green peace Humane Society International (HSI) ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability InterAction International Environmental Law Project (IELP) at Lewis and Clark Law School 

## * Internat i onal Forum on Globalization International Rivers IPS/Sustainable Energy & Economy Network (SEEN) Kyoto USA League of Conservation Voters Massachu setts Climate Action Network National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) National Audubon Society National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Natural Re sources Defense Council North Carolina Conservation Network Oil Change International Oregon Environmental Council Oxfam America Pace Energy and Climate Center Pacific Environment Pew Environment Group Physicians for Soc i al ResponsibilityPopulation Action International Pre sbyterian Church USA Rainforest Action Network Refugee s International Sierra Club Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) Sustain US The Climate Reality Project The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studie s The Nature Conservancy (TNC) The Regeneration Project 

### I Interfaith Power & Light The Re s ource Innovation Group (TRIG) The Wilderne ss Society Tran sportation for America U.S

. Green Building Council (USGBC) Union of Concerned Scientists Voices for Progress WEDO Will Steger Foundation Woods Hole Research Center World Resources Institute (WRI) 

## * World Wildlife Fund Worldwatch Institute