Isabella Levy 

isabella_levy(7a.brown.edu 

July 30, 2014 

Comment to US Environmental Protection Agency on Proposed Carbon Pollution 

Standards for Existing Power Plants 

Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602 

Good afternoon. My name is Isabella Levy. I am a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 

a rising junior at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. 

I am here today to thank the EPA for its landmark proposal to set limits on carbon pollution 

from existing power plants. This is a much-needed step toward addressing ctimate change 

and a landmark opportunity for the United States to honor its heritage as a leader in 

tackling the most difficult environmental challenges in innovative, effective ways. 

However, I am worried. The Clean Power Plan shows tremendous promise as a flexible 

and state-oriented means of reducing carbon, but in its current state, it's not enough. We 

should be striving to make our goals as strong as possible, and to meet them as quickly as 

possible. That means aiming for a 35 or 40°lo carbon reduction below 2005 levels, and 

achieving that by2020. 

Over the course of today and yesterday, you have heard from moms, kids, and young 

adults talking about the impacts of climate change on the future, and the world that future 

generations will know. I echo all of these sentiments because theyre true: if we don't act 

quickly or effectively enough today to curb climate pollution, in my lifetime I will see the 

catastrophic impacts of unchecked climate disruption. 

Today, though, I would like to talk instead about my beloved hometown of Philadelphia, and 

my adopted state of Rhode Island, both of which are already feeling the sometimes-deadly 

impacts of climate disruption. 

In Philadelphia, climate disruption is felt most significantly in our ever-longer and more 

frequent heat waves, and contributes to the region's poor air quality. In the summer of 

2012, at least nine Philadelphians died of heat-related causes; five of those deaths 

occurred during a single 12-day stretch that tied for the fourth-longest heat wave the city 

has ever seen. Philadelphia is also listed by the EPA as a nonattainment area for 

ground-level ozone, or smog, which is formed when pollutants like nitrogen oxides and 

sulfur dioxide are exposed to heat and sunlight, and is a known cause of the asthma that 
affects 10.5% of the citys children according to the American Lung Association's 2014 

"State of the Air" report, not to mention as many as 27.5% of Philadelphia children in 

low-income communities according to the Merck Childhood Asthma Network. As heat 

waves become longer, hotter, and more frequent, we can expect to see more smog and 

more asthma. 

In Rhode Island, the effects of climate disruption are more immediatelytangible. The state 

was spared the worst impacts of Superstorm Sandy, but was still immobilized as storm 

surge buffeted coastal communities and left nearly a quarter of households across the state 

without power. The Ocean State is also uniquely vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise. 

As Senator Sheldon Whitehouse often notes, the sea level recorded at the Newport Tide 

Gauge has risen since 1930 by nearly 10 inches. This rise has accelerated the pace of 

erosion along the state's 400 miles of coastline, which threatens to displace homes, 

businesses, and beaches, and increases the risk of serious damage with every storm. 

I am grateful that both the city Philadelphia and the state of Rhode Island recognize the toll 

that climate change is taking on their citizens, economies, and environments, and that both 

have taken action to minimize their contribution to climate change. As part of its 

Greenworks Sustainability Plan, Philadelphia has made major investments in energy 

efficiencyfor municipal buildings, and has helped to retrofit nearly 12,000 homes since 

2009, saving $155,148 per year in energy costs. The city has also created a number of 

zoning policies and financing pathways that make small-scale solar energy generation 

easy and affordable, and is on track to be powered by 20% renewable energy in the next 

few years. Rhode Island has worked to increase energy efFciency as a member of the 

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and through innovative distributive generation 

legislation that allows renewable energy projects to sell power back to National Grid. This 

program has made it possible for independent businesses and homeowners to move 

forward with large- and small-scale generation of renewable energy. 

I hope that as EPA works to finalize the content of the Clean Power Plan, it looks to 

communities like the ones I call my own, both to understand the urgent need for strong and 

just carbon regulations and to gain inspiration. This is a great opportunity for the EPA to 

help our country lead the fight against climate change, and to do it without dirty energy like 

natural gas and nuclear. By following the lead of cities and states across the country, and 

turning to energy efFciency and clean, renewable energy, the Clean Power Plan will create 

jobs, spur innovation, empower communities, and get us back on track as an 

envi ronmental leader. 

Thank you.