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Testimony for the Proposed 

Carbon Pollution Guidelines 

By the United States 

Environmental Protection Agency 

for Existing Power Plants 

and Emission Standards for 

Modified and Reconstructed Power Plants 

By: Jim Egged 

Firefighter Emeritus 

Certified Hazardous Materials Technician 

Presenting on July 31, 2014 
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Thank you very much for the opportunity to present testimony on clean 

power. I am going approach this in an unconventional manner because I 

do want this testimony to go on record. At the end it will all come 

together, be relevant and on topic. 

My name is Jim Egged and I am a retired firefighter. I was one of only 

two members of the department to be placed on the county mutual aid 

hazardous incident response team. My retirement has been a continuation 

of my dedication to public safety, advocating for the environment is a 

matter of public safety. Without a habitable environment the public safety 

cannot be assured . 

I want to express the fact that I am one fed up American. The grid lock in 

Washington has been a well orchestrated effort to undermine the 

legitimacy of this Presidency. The fact alone that we elected this man 

President is historically significant. For some reason there are those in 

this country who have issues with his family living in the White House. 

However, the legacy that could have been and still can be left by this 

President is so much more than that. This proceeding about the rules on 

Carbon Pollution is just an example of the positive impact our President 

can leave to history. Those setting up deliberate roadblocks to the 

progress both environmentally and economically care not for life of this 

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country. Long-term benefits are being forsaken for short-term gams. 

These people know who they are and continue an active propaganda 

campaign brainwashing their followers into accepting pseudo sc1ence 

because it benefits these greed over safety mongers. 

Oh the mutinous crew members of this crippled ship can sit at the 

opposite end of the Mall and point their collective fingers at the White 

House and say, "It is that branch that has chosen to refuse to cooperate." 

Then have the unmitigated gall to file a lawsuit because the President is 

doing what is necessary to ensure the continued safe and prosperous 

living conditions that folks in this country have come to enjoy. I have bad 

news for you, it is obvious to even the most casual of observers just 

where the obstruction to a functional government lies. For that I want to 

express my most sincere and heart felt apologize to President Obama 

from the people who truly care for survival of this country and 

habitability of the planet. Thank you for being you 0 Captain, my 

Captain. 

President Obama took command of a ship that was seriously listing to 

starboard. He made every effort to put our country on a true course 

toward the Seas of Prosperity and Sustainablity. Instead of cooperating 

with the captain, certain mutinous members of the crew listened to 

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oversized feline passengers aboard our stalled vessel who convinced them 

it is better that we stay dead in the water. They believe they have their life 

vests on and have secured their place on the long boats, their 

grandchildren haven't. 

0 Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is not yet done, the ship has 

weather' d every rack, the prize we sought is not yet won, 

This Proceeding, 0 Captain! my Captain! is you rising up to hear the 

bells; Rising up-for you the flag is flung-for you the bugle trills. 

Your Presidency has not fallen cold and dead. My Captain does answer, I 

trust Walt Whitman would not be disappointed in my taking some literary 

license with his poem (Leaves of Grass (David McKay, 1891) 

Back on topic here. The Clean Power Plan can help clean up our air and 

maintain a healthy environment for our children and their children. Only 

the EPA needs to strengthen the standard, by prioritizing renewable 

energy, I am sure you are well aware that we have a 5 billion year supply 

of energy just a mere 8 light minutes away, smiling down on us every 

single day. That is just one of the revewable non-threating means of 

generating energy. 

In the mean time we can work on energy efficiency. We need to ensure 

that affected communities and workers have a seat at the table. We also 

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need to ensure that we have the resources to transition to a clean energy 

economy. States can and should craft comprehensive implementation 

plans that will result in net job creation across the country and ensure a 

fair and just transition when power plants are retired. 

It does need to be said that climate scientists agree that a much greater 

reduction in TOTAL greenhouse gas emissions, upwards of 40 percent by 

2020. is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. These 

international scientists warned us years ago that developed countries I ike 

the United States must reduce their emissions 25 to 40 percent below 

1990 levels by 2020 to avoid tipping the scales further toward a climate 

catastrophe. I am an activist and will take your lead back to the State of 

Michigan and do my part. 

That being said, carbon dioxide is not the only climate change carbon 

molecule we have to worry about. Methane, a cute little carbon atom 

hooked up with four hydrogen atoms. Data from the Intergovernmental 

Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), recognizing that methane is 86 times 

more potent than C02 over a twenty-year time frame. at trapping heat. In 

fact it hangs about the atmosphere for a century. This means of course, 

even if we discontinue all of our artificial spewing of greenhouse gases 

into our precious envelope of protection, the average surface temperature 

of our Garden of Eden will continue to rise. Then, with any luck, it will 

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level off. Hopefully this is the first step the EPA will take at the 

President's leadership in making the United States a team player in the 

fight to inhibit anthropogenic Climate Change. Obviously what I am 

saying is that methane issues need to be addressed as well. 

I tell you, they say the sea turns so dark that you know it's time you see 

the sign. They say the point demons guard is an ocean grave, for all the 

brave it is me that is saying, "How long, how long, How long to the point 

of know return?" that is K- N --0 -W (That is word the song uses by the 

way). Today I send a message floating in the sea to you from me It says 

that when I could see it, I cry with fear, the Point is near it is me that says, 

"How long, how long To the Point of Know Return?" 

Ok, I took literary license with the Kansas song but the idea is we don't 

know how long to the point, that we will know we can return. The 

problem is there will be no satisfaction in saying we told you so. Should 

we get to the point we cannot stop a runaway greenhouse effect because it 

will be too late. 

I am not a doomsday prognosticator. However, we do need to prepare for 

the worst and perhaps intercede to prevent disaster. Sure we cannot be 

certain that the worse possible outcomes will see themselves to their 

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fruition. We do know that doing nothing can only lead to disaster. History 

has born this out. As a firefighter I can tell you that fire safety measures 

do not stem from a proactive effort. 

The establishment of a safe organized means of exiting a school and 

practicing that procedure as well as placing fire alarms in buildings of 

public assembly did not come about until 92 students and 3 nuns lost their 

lives in the Our Lady of Angels fire of December 1, 195 8 in Chicago. The 

Coconut Grove Nightclub fire of November 28, 1942 where 492 people 

lost their lives lead to capacity limitations of public gather places and 

having exits clearly marked and illuminated. On March 25th of 2011 it 

was 1 OOth anniversary of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New 

York where 146 women lost their lives including two young girls there 

were only 14 years-old. This fire lead to work place safety laws and 

standards. The Iroquois Theater fire of December 30, 1903 resulted in 

605 deaths. Could this unnecessary loss of life have been prevented? The 

answer to that question is an emphatic, Yes! That is why my chronology 

of this goes backward in time, to demonstrate that there was already 

evidence of impending disasters to come. 

We have had a year of extreme weather that happens to be the most 

recent episode of what appears to be a trend. Do we want to ignore these 

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installments of climate history and play them off as merely anecdotal and 

not evidentiary? Perhaps these are possibly only the result of a naturally 

occurring cycle that will balance itself out? After all, it was only 20,000 

years ago our climate began to come out of an ice age. Let's not wait for 

disaster to strike before we say, "If we could have of but, or ifwe would 

have, or we should have but." If, ifs and buts were candy and nuts it 

would be Christmas everyday. Taking no action would be a gamble with 

the future. 

At the age of 55, I may not see any dyer consequences of climatic 

changes. I do not have grandchildren, yet! With one son and three 

stepsons, all in the young adult range, I am anticipating that revelation in 

the near future. I am not willing to bet against the house here and sit back 

and do nothing. I want my future grandchildren and their grandchildren to 

enjoy the same beautiful planet I have. I do not want them to have to fight 

the environment in order to just survive. 

I don't know if that particular set of circumstances will be the case, I 

don't know that it won't be either. We must do what is in the best 

possible interest for our future generations; this includes planning for the 

worse case scenario. If that does not pan out, then it is all that much better 

for our grandchildren and their grandchildren . 

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This tiny orb that floats on the fabric of space-time is the only home our 

species and all the other species from the kingdoms of life, know. As the • 

current dominate creatures it is incumbent upon us to be the stewards of 

this spacecraft. Please, please, continue to proceed in a positive proactive 

manner with your efforts to preserve and sustain a livable garden for all 

of God's creatures. 

There are no lifeboats on this ship and we have no floatation devices 

compatible with the abyss of space to don in order to maintain our 

existence until we reach safe harbor. This it, this is all we have my 

friends. Let us stopping arguing about who is correct here and initiate 

standards that will ensure the safety and well being of future generations • 

even if this climate change thing is just a freak of nature and we will 

return to a stable climate. Hopefully we have not reached the point that 

we know we can still return. Once we are there we will not be able to 

return because the next step takes us beyond. That is when the ride gets 

really scary! 

The only argument against these changes in rules and standards is it will 

cost money to the Capitalist who provide jobs. Well the cost of 

conducting our business as usual could prove to be much more dear. Let's 

obtain a little insurance for the future eh? There is no dollar sign on peace 

9WJ r;;ol 8 

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