EPA Public Hearing on Carbon Pollution Standards 

Washington, DC 

May 241

\ 2012 

TESTIMONY of JOE COOK 

1147 Surrey Crescent, Norfolk, VA 23508 

.J cook114 7 @gmail.co m 

pg I of2 

My name is Joe Cook, and I live at 1147 Surrey Crescent, Norfolk, VA 

23508. I come today to speak out strongly in favor of the EPA's long overdue 

New Source Performance Standards or carbon pollution limits for new power 

plants. 

I live in a city already experiencing the effects of carbon pollution, the main 

contributor to climate disruption with consequent sea level rise and directly linked 

to life-threatening air pollution. For the first time over the last 75 years of its 

existence, my house in the Larchmont neighborhood was surrounded by water and 

nearly flooded twice by storm surges over the last four years. As one standing on 

the front lines of climate change, I have a personal interest in seeing this rule put in 

place and vigorously enforced to help save my home. 

Two old dirty coal plants already operate in our area and constantly spew 

carbon and a toxic mix of70 hazardous substances into the air, water and soil, any 

one of which could lead to severe illness or premature death. This is especially 

true if you are in an at risk population group, such as asthmatics, fetuses, infants 

and children, persons with heart and respiratory problems or anyone with a 

compromised or weakened immune system. I have lupus, which has weakened my 

immune system, so emissions from burning coal put me at higher risk for more 

suffering and premature death. 

Yet, even though carbon threatens our health, our economy, and our 

children's future, it is beyond logic or reason that we currently have no national 

limits on how much carbon and deadly poisons can be released into our air by the 

nation's largest source of carbon pollution-dirty coal fired power plants. If we 

know a company or industry is preparing to dump even more hazardous waste into 

our air, water and backyard, why not try to stop it before it's too late. In fact, if 

you or I dumped arsenic, cyanide, lead or mercury onto our next door neighbor's 

property, we would likely be charged with a crime and arrested. Why should 

corporations be allowed to get a permit and do the same thing just to make a 

profit? 

While we can't see the carbon, mercury and other pollutants in the air and 

water with our eyes, we can certainly see their damage in the severe cases of 

asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, cancer and brain damage to fetuses, infants (over) 
and children. According to the Clean Air Task Force, coal pollution in the United 

States costs us more than $100 billion annually in health costs. Over 12,000 

emergency room visits per year are due to coal-related illness. The same report 

estimates that the coal plants nearby to Norfolk burden our residents with an 

additional $90.6 million dollars annually in health care and 14 premature deaths 

attributed to emissions from burning coal. 

Let's stop putting the profits of the 1% before the common good of the 99%. 

Please place the health of300 million people, our precious environment and the 

economy above the corporate bottom line. If we looked at this on a cost benefit 

basis and factored in the known harm to our health, the premature deaths, 

environmental damage and adverse economic impact, coal burning power plants 

are a big loser. 

EPA, DOE, and industry projections indicate that, due to the economics of 

coal and natural gas among other factors, new power plants that are built over the 

next decade or more would be expected to meet this proposed standard even in the 

absence of the rule. So let's move ahead with it at deliberate speed because it is 

not expected to cause significant additional costs that would impact electricity 

prices or reliability. Furthermore, energy companies can meet this standard by 

using clean, renewable energy and technological innovation as noted by the fact 

that several states and foreign countries already have limits on carbon pollution. 

It's time for our nation to focus our energy on supporting sustainable clean energy 

jobs instead of continuing to rely on old, dirty coal-fired plants for our energy. 

Every family has the right to breathe clean air, free from the toxic pollution 

that has taken too many lives and destroyed too many communities. We cannot 

accept more dirty coal while our friends and family miss days of school and work, 

ending up in the emergency room or the morgue instead. These proposed carbon 

limits will ensure that our young, the old, those in between, our communities, and 

America's work force are healthier, while creating thousands of greatly needed 

jobs and fighting climate disruption.