U.S. EPA Clean Power Plan Public Hearings 

Testimony by Gerry W Fuller, 1200 Crystal Drive, #713, Arlington, VA 22202 

Regulations that promote Clean Power are important to me. I am an 

asthmatic. I know better than most people what it is like not to be able to breathe 

clean air. What it is like to gasp because airways have shut down in response to 

bad air. Most of the tiine, it's so easy to take breathing for granted; we do it about 

twenty times a minute, day and night, and never give it a thought. But, when you 

can't, when you have to gasp and strain and are unable to do anything else, even 

think—because you just can't get a good breath—then you know just how 

important it is to have regulations to protect clean air. I like to bicycle and jog; I 

have learned they are essential to my mental and emotional health. But when a 

code orange air alert is announced, I can't. I have to stay inside and guard 

carefully what I do. I realize there are people who don't care so much about clean 

air. Some choose to smoke. Some have businesses that produce pollution. Many 

want the cheapest energy possible. It might seem that iny asthma is a personal 

problem that doesn't affect them. But over the course of my life time, we have 

learned that, despite the deniers, smoking kills. It even killed my brother-in-law, 

Dick, who was convinced smoking wasn't hurting him and, besides, "He just 

couldn't stop."—until lung cancer stopped him. I've come to think that we 

astlunatics may be the canaries in the coal mines; we're here to remind you that, 

despite the deniers, clean air does matter. It's a matter of life and breath. 

I'm also a grandfather. Here's a picture of my daughter's children—Tobin 

and Camwyn. What we do—what you do—matters for my grandchildren. The 

world is changing. Cities grow ever larger. The demand for more energy seems 

insatiable. Knowing how much the world has changed in my lifetime, it is hard for 

me to even imagine the world Tobin and Camwyn will live in when they are my 
age. But I know for certain that I 

don't want that world to be dirtier, 

smog-filled, or more polluted. 

Individually, I try to do my part. 

Even though I live in a high rise 

condo, I participate in Arlington 

County's urban composting program. 

I routinely separate recyclables, from 

garbage. I take care to properly 

dispose of batteries and computer components. That's not how I grew up. When I 

was a kid, we just took everything to the dump. But now we know that approach is 

no longer good enough. Human beings are capable of change, even though it may 

be hard; even though change might seem unnecessary or uncomfortable for some. 

Today, I am asking you to do your part to make changes. We can transition froin 

dirty to clean energy, and we can do it aggressively. States can and should meet 

new standards for clean, cost-effective, renewable energy. We must empower 

workers and communities to transition to a clean energy economy. 

As we continue to learn more about what impacts our environment, that 

knowledge must be incorporated into new, stronger, more effective regulations. 

My grandchildren—Tobin and Camwyn—need a sustainable, strong, Clean Power 

Plan; one that encourages—and when necessary requires—everyone to do all they 

can to protect, indeed, to restore this wonderful blue-white marble of a planet. 

Thank you.