ContactInformation: Rachel Goodermote, MSPH rgooderl @jhu.edu 

### Comments Regarding the Environmental ProtectionAgency's Proposed Power Plan July 29th, 2014 Good evening. My name is Rachel Goodermote, and I am here today to express my support for a strong EPA rule limiting carbon pollution from existing powerplants both as a public health professional and personally. I received my Masters from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School ofPublic Health, where Iworked first hand on disaster response and other issues directly related to the effects ofclimate change on public health. Currently I work with Physicians for Social Responsibility on similar issues. Reducing the amount ofcarbon pollution emitted by existing powerplants is not a zero-sum game. In fact, clean air and a healthy environment strengthens economic and community stability, improves propertyvalues and encourages new business ventures. Annually, coal-fired powerplants 

### costthe US anywhere from $120 to $523 billion dollars, and have been associated with 

### tens ofthousands of premature deaths, and 

### hundreds ofthousands ofhospital visits, heartattacks and asthma attacks. Other pollutants released bythese powerplants, such as fine particulate air pollution, are also positively associated with both cardiovascular and lung cancer, in addition to other acute and chronic respiratory ailments.
Ifnot for our own public and economic health, itis extremely importantfor the United States to take a strong stance on carbon pollution as a roll-model for the global community. While working on disaster preparedness in Indonesia, I sawthat many ofthe environmental engineers and policy makers look to the US

- and specifically the US EPA

- for guidance on bestpractices. During my work abroad several people asked me howthe US is dealing with carbon pollution and the negative effects ofclimate change- especially following disasters such as Hurricane Sandy. Whether in New Jersey orWestJava, it is difficult to explain to someone who has lost their home, that disasters such as the ones they experienced are likely to become more common with climate change, and the US has made no changes to it's policy regarding carbon pollution. As leaders in the global community, ifwe do not move forward with these changes, no one will

- and no one will win.
On a more personal note, I grew up in the mountains ofMaine, Vermont and Colorado, and have a strong connection to the outdoor and winter sports communities, which have been hithard bythe effects ofclimate change. This mayseem trivial, however snowsports (which include skiing, snowboarding and other winter activities) contribute an estimated $67 billion annually to the US 

### economy, and support over 600,000jobs and countless communities.
In the lastthree decades the rate ofwinterwarminghas accelerated dramatically in the Northern US where communities have started to see the negative consequences ofclimate change first hand. When there is no snowrecreation centers cannothire and businesses close. Those who can move do. As shops and restaurants close and mountain conditions worsen, towns look less appealingto tourists. Ihave seen small towns from Maine to Colorado once filled with local pride, struggling to get byunder uncertain conditions. Iwantto be clearthat 

### climate change is no longer a global issue inthe eyes ofthese communities

- itis a veryreal, local and serious issue. Finally, Iwantto emphasize that itis still possible to make improvements! Studies have shown thatreduced particulate pollution -a co-pollutantwith COz- is associated with reduced mortality risk. This means that not only do we have the potential to make improvements for the health offuture generations, but also 

### reducing carbon and fine particulate pollution can create a measurable impact for ourcommunities today. By setting a national rule to reduce carbon pollution from established powerplants by 30% by the year 2030 the proposed powerplan developed bythe EPA will act as a model for other nations to follow and will be one step closer to improving US public health, safety and future economic stability againstthe negative effects ofair pollution and climate change. Thankyou.

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