Introduction 

My name is William Owens, a resident of Cen 

opportunity to testify. May I deliver two testim 

first is from Ms. Leslie Weise, of Monument, • 

finish within the five-minute time limit. 

Ms. Weise's testimony 

• 

:do Springs City Council, which 

etings I volunteer with a small group of 

d of renewable energy and efficiency 

serve over 500,000 people. Change 

uncil meeting we heard two members 

e deniers, with one of them proudly 

• 

EPA Public Hearing: 

Proposed Carbon Regulations for Power Plants 

Testimony Delivered at: 

EPA Region 8 Office 

1595 Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 80202 

Tuesday 29 July 2014 

By: William Owens, Jr. , Centennial, CO 80112 

"Accepting a Truer Cost of Coal-fired Power Generation" 

ennial, CO. Thank you for the 

vies in this time slot? Thank you! The 

0. I will then deliver my testimony and 

I have worked as in-house counsel for Fortun 500 companies, focusing for the past 

10 years on those developing technology and products to displace fossil fuels for 

energy production. (I have solar PV panels on my home, and drive a plug-in hybrid 

vehicle.) 

My 8-year old son and I have witnessed, liter. 

Colorado's most destructive wildfires over the 

fire, the Waldo Canyon fire, and the Black For 

including that of my sister. It's disturbing that 

wildfires are normal. Yet, he is academically 

class presentations on carbon and water cycl 

when a substitute teacher read to his class a 

class that climate change was not true, but w 

Because of our knowledge and advocacy on t 

and had to make a statement of correction to 

Ily from the road side, three of 

past 3 years: Boulder's 4-mile Canyon 

st fire that destroyed over 500 homes 

e is growing up believing that these 

dvanced in science (and has given two 

s). So he was genuinely confused 

ook about weather and then told the 

s something made up by scientists. 

e topic, that teacher was reprimanded 

he class. 

Climate change denial also exists in the Color 

manages their electric utility. At city council m 

community professionals to ensure that a ble 

investments are included in the utility's plans t 

won't be easy because at last month's City C 

of the City Council profess to be climate chan 

stating he had written extensively on the "hoa 

• 

• 

I've seen the real-world impact of climate cha ge in the catastrophic impact of the 

Colorado fires and in the teacher's and counci members' ignorance on the science of 

climate. Therefore, I enthusiastically support t e EPA's plans for carbon reduction 

standards so that this critical topic can be add essed, rather than ignored. 

(End of Ms. Weise's testimony) 

Mr. Owens' testimony (next page) 
"Accepting a Truer Cost of Coa -fired Power Generation" 

Testimony by Ms. Leslie Weis and Mr. William Owens 

(continu d) 

This debate about CO2 in power production i often framed in the context of jobs. I'm 

not here to deny the importance of jobs. I've b-en laid off a few times so, I fully 

appreciate the value of jobs. But we should al .o weigh the costs of CO2 and other 

harmful emissions from burning coal because they impose a tremendous cost on 

human health. 

The coal industry (producers and users) want us to simply accept the value of the 

electricity they produce. They say that to do o herwise will cost us jobs. You see, they 

are waving the JOBS flag to distract us from il, costs to life and health. The costs 

include: 

1. The negative impact to the agriculture e need to sustain life due to CO2-

driven climate change, 

2. The increase in downwind debilitating -sthma cases, 

3. Breathing difficulties for others with im•aired lungs due to nitrous and 

sulfurous oxides from older plants, and 

4. Changing our diet to reduce or eliminat- the consumption of coal plant 

mercury laden tuna from our diet. 

behalf of jobs, we must 

uld ask, "How many created or 

et the cost of the lives they 

So, as we hear the coal industry's argument o 

also consider the cost to public health. We sh 

saved coal industry jobs are needed to o 

compromise?" 

8 

We can do better. I urge that the EPA's propo ed regulations be adopted 

substantially as proposed. We have to start s•mewhere, and this is a small but 

important step toward doing better. 

Part of the solution to reach 30% CO2 reducti in is to use more clean and renewable 

energy sources. They, too, create jobs, but th y don't cost lives and health like coal 

plants do. 

(End of Mr. Owens' testimony) 

On behalf of Ms. Leslie Weise and myself, thank you for this opportunity to testify. 

29 July 2014 Rev 4 WO