Re: Docket No. EPA-HQ-20I I -0660 

From: Deirdre Smith 

2652 Jefferson Park Circle 

Charlottesville, VA 22903 

Date: May 2~, 2012 

My name is Dede Smith and I am here from Charlottesville, Virginia where I am an elected member 

of City Council. On April2, 2012, the Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously to endorse 

the EPA's proposal to limit carbon pollution from new coal-fired power plants. I've attached a copy 

of that resolution. 

Why would Charlottesville, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, be concerned about 

coal burning power plants being built hundreds of miles away? 

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Simply because, with~ new coal burning planta ~wvmj,:oy in our vicinity, there is 

an imminent threat of further degradation in air quality to those of us downwind of*6!i'e new sites. 

We're concerned because our modest city, with its reputation as one of the best places to live in 

America, has in recent years had to issue warnings over unhealthy air quality. This is a threat to our 

children, to pregnant women, to the elderly, to the patients who come to our outstanding medical 

facilities and to the economic health of our region. Smog is not just an eyesore. It irritates our lungs, 

triggers asthma attacks, increases emergency room visits, and can lead to irreversible lung damage. 

Tourism, education, and our renowned medical centers are the core of the area's industry. A city 

with as rich a historic fabric as ours relies on the 2 million tourists each year who come to 

Charlottesville to see Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, James Monroe's Ash Lawn, and James 

Madison's Montpelier; or to attend one of Charlottesville's renowned literary, cultural or artistic 

festivals; tour its 30 wineries and breweries; or just take in the spectacular beauty of the area. At the 

heart of our local economy is the University of Virginia, consistently listed as one of the top five 

public universities in the country for its strong academic standing and renowned hospital. 

Another part of our tourism attraction is Shenandoah National Park, a short jaunt from 

Charlottesville, and a refuge from the Beltway's clamor. Sadly, where once a visitor could see more 

than I 00 miles from its overlooks, today its iconic views are often limited to only a mile or two due 

to the smog and other pollutants carried on the wind from far-away coal burning plants, and posing 

health risks to the 1.5 million people who visit the park every year. 

I am here today to ask you, to help us preserve the historic and natural heritage of Central Virginia 

and therewith its economy by reducing the amount of smog and haze allowed in our air by 

controlling carbon pollution from new coal-fired power plants and I urge you further to consider a 

higher standard for existing power plants as well. 

Thank you for your time and attention and I hope you will visit Charlottesville this year to help us 

celebrate onr 2501

h birthday. 
... 

RESOLUTION 

REQUESTING that the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator fully employ and 

enforce the Clean Air Act to reduce industrial carbon pollution. 

WHEREAS the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that climate change 

will cause negative public health impacts from direct temperature effects, extreme weather 

events, climate-sensitive diseases, air quality, and other health impacts; and 

WHEREAS the Union of Concerned Scientists predicts that higher temperatures from 

global warming will exacerbate ozone pollution, one of the main ingredients of smog; and 

WHEREAS, on days with high levels of smog pollution deaths from cardiovascular and 

respiratory causes increase, more people visit hospital emergency rooms for asthma, pneumonia 

and upper respiratory infections, and more adults miss work and more children miss school due 

to illness; and 

WHEREAS, the American Lung Association says nearly half of all Americans - 48 

percent- still live in areas with unhealthy levels of smog pollution; and 

WHEREAS the City of Charlottesville had 3 unhealthy air days from ground level ozone 

pollution (above 75 parts per billion in an eight hour period) in 2010; and 

WHEREAS, for four decades, the Clean Air Act has protected the air we breathe through 

a proven, comprehensive, successful system of pollution control that saves lives and creates 

economic benefits exceeding its costs by many times; and 

WHEREAS, between 1970 and 1990, the six main pollutants covered by the Clean Air 

Act were reduced by between 47 and 93 percent, and airborne lead was virtually eliminated; and 

WHEREAS, the Clean Air Act has produced economic benefits valued at $2 trillion or 30 

times the cost of regulation; and 

WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA (2007) that 

greenhouse gases are "air pollutants" as defined by the Clean Air Act and the Environmental 

Protection Agency has the authority to regulate them; and 

WHEREAS, the Clean Air Act can work immediately to curb greenhouse gas pollution 

without new climate legislation or in conjunction with new climate legislation; and 

WHEREAS, in 2006, Charlottesville Mayor David Brown, with the endorsement of the 

City Council, signed the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement, which has now been signed by 

more than 1000 U.S. mayors; and 
.. 

WHEREAS, in 2007, the City Council adopted a 2025 Vision Statement for the City 

which incorporated goals for "A Green City," including a goal for clean air; 

BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Charlottesville, State of Virginia: 

Section l. That the Council respectfully request the Administrator of the Environmental 

Protection Agency, Lisa P. Jackson, and President Barack Obama to fully employ and enforce 

the Clean Air Act to do our part to reduce carbon in our atmosphere to no more than 350 parts 

per million. 

Section 2. That a copy of this resolution be sent to Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator for the 

Environmental Protection Agency. 

Passed:~------------' 2012 

Mayor 

Attest: -----~C~I-erk _____ ___ 

Submitted by Councilmember ~~~~~~~-

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