Written comments submitted by Richard McCorkle, Dover, Delaware ( rickmacsp5@iuno.com ) 

I'd like to thank EPA for this opportunity to provide comments on the proposed Clean Power Plan. While 

I'm concerned that the plan will result in only a 30% reduction of carbon pollution below 2005 levels, 

and states have until 2030 to fully implement the plan, I support the Clean Power Plan, which will not 

only save billions of dollars, but will also save lives . 

I'm originally from eastern Pennsylvania, but I've lived in Delaware for the past 23 years where smog 

levels are known to be unhealthy. According to the American Lung Association, asthma sickens about 

20,000 children and 70,000 adults in Delaware each year. 

Temperature increases in the summer are expected to increase the likelihood of drought, and Delaware 

faces higher risks of water shortages by mid-century as a result of climate change. While living in 

Delaware, I've noticed the weather has become more and more erratic with each passing year. We've 

been experiencing more temperature swings and more extreme rainfall events which cause widespread 

flooding. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, and when it rains, it increasingly seems to come 

in deluges. Delaware has been declared a disaster area 4 times since 2000, due to severe storms and 

massive flooding — including a July 2006 storm that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. In 

2011, Delaware experienced record-breaking heat in 1 county, and record-breaking rainfall in 2 

counties. 

In 2013, Delaware's statewide precipitation for June averaged nearly 11 inches, 7 inches above the 

1981-2010 mean of about 4 inches. This represented a new statewide record for the month of June. In 

addition, Wilmington set a new June precipitation record of 13.7 inches. 

On Sunday July 28th , 2013, more than 7 inches of rain fell during a 4-hour period at Philadelphia 

International Airport. A new daily record for the city was set, with the rainfall total for that day 

exceeding 8 inches. The following day, a Monday, all American Airlines morning flights, over 530 of 

them, were canceled or delayed due to the storm's impacts. I wonder what the costs associated with all 

of those canceled flights were? Many cars were submerged as roads turned into rivers, as well. Just 1 

day into August, Philadelphia set a new summer rainfall record, with the seasonal total already 245% of 

the climatological average for the entire 3 summer months. 

You may argue about whether a particular weather event is caused by climate change, but there is no 

disputing the fact that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. This is simple physics, and this s why 

we can expect more of these devastating precipitation events. The 500-year floods are becoming the 

100-year floods, and the 100-year floods are becoming the 10-year floods. 

A couple of years ago, I visited places affected by Hurricane Irene, which were already unusually wet 

when the storm hit — contributing to unprecedented flooding in parts of Vermont and eastern New York. 

I saw first-hand, washed-out bridges and roads, and collapsed river banks where houses were lifted off 

their foundations and swept down-river. Good friends of mine in Vermont saw the road in front of their 

house washed away, and had to rescue a man from a van that was stranded in rising flood waters. 
Looking at temperature extremes, during the summer of 2013, night-time temperatures in Philadelphia 

did not drop below 70 degrees for over 30 days — the longest string of days at or above 70 degrees since 

record-keeping began in 1872. During that same period, New York City had three consecutive nights 

where the temperature did not drop below 80 degrees. Here in Washington, D.C., the temperature 

failed to drop below 80 degrees for five straight nights — also a new record. 

Then, on December 21 5t, 2013, a Saturday, NYC, Philadelphia and Atlantic City experienced a heat wave... 

in December. Central Park hit a record-setting 65 degrees. Philadelphia and Atlantic City reached 67 

degrees, new records for both cities. In Wilmington, Delaware, the temperature rose to 68 degrees, 

breaking the previous record. Newark, NJ also broke its previous high temperature record. The next day, 

December 22" d , it got even hotter, with temperatures rising above 70 degrees in NYC. The most unusual 

aspect of that December heat wave was the amount by which records were broken — by 10 degrees in 

some areas along the East Coast. A Senior Meteorologist was quoted as saying that, on a global basis, 

weather appears to be getting more chaotic, and could be preparing to kick into a new state. 

Just one week ago, a CBS News headline read: "World Breaks Global Heat Record — Again." According to 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June's average global temperature was 1.3 

degrees higher than the 20thcentury average, and the world's oceans were the hottest EVER recorded, 

regardless of the month. And while this temperature increase may not seem like much, consider that a 

2013 study revealed that, during the past 100 years, the temperature rose at a rate that was 50 times 

faster than the rate of any other temperature change since the last ice age which ended 11,300 years 

ago (Marcott et al. 2013). 

The likelihood of achieving the goal of not exceeding a 2-degree Celsius temperature increase is remote 

at this point. As we continue to fail to act, scientists are now predicting that the global average 

temperature will increase by at least 4 degrees Celsius and possibly as much as 6 degrees, due to our 

inaction. To date, our GHG emissions have fueled a global average temperature increase of about 1 

degree Celsius. Try to imagine the climate chaos to come as we continue to burn fossil fuels and add 

enough greenhouse gases to the atmosphere to raise the temperature by 4 to 6 degrees. 

Living in the coastal state of Delaware, I'm very concerned about the future of my state, much of which 

will be inundated by sea level rise. Coastal towns and low-lying farmland will be lost, and ports will be 

wiped out. What will the economic costs of these impacts be? I'm sure many folks in this room enjoy 

beach vacations. Chances are those beaches that you enjoy visiting will be gone by the end of this 

century, if not sooner. In natural situations; beaches and dunes migrate inland with rising sea level. But 

most of the beaches we enjoy are backed by urban development. Unless society is willing to abandon 

these developed areas and retreat inland, we will be left with sea walls instead of beaches and dunes. 

Following the devastation along the New Jersey coast caused by Hurricane Sandy, some coastal 

communities are already building sea walls where they didn't previously exist, seemingly oblivious to the 

fact that they are eliminating the opportunity for the beaches and dunes to migrate inland. 

Those who are opposed to this plan will try to make arguments on economic grounds. But what about 

the costs to society of more and worse floods and associated property and infrastructure damages, 

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droughts, more extreme wildfires out west, crop losses, and increased allergens? Weather- and climaterelated disasters have caused $2.4 trillion in economic losses and nearly 2 million deaths globally since 

1971 according to a new report. In my opinion, anyone opposing these rules on economic grounds 

doesn't have a leg to stand on. 

The unsubsidized costs of solar and wind power have continued to decline, and these renewable energy 

sources lack most of the externalities of traditional energy sources. These externalities — air pollution, 

health impacts, etc., are mostly ignored by economists. Ignored to a large extent by much of society is 

the simple approach of energy conservation. If you've ever had a window seat on a night-time flight, I'm 

sure you've seen the incredible number of lights below you as you pass over urban areas. How many of 

us have had to put on a sweater during the summer while at the office or attending a meeting or 

conference? Why not just turn the thermostat up a few degrees during the summer, and turn it down a 

few degrees during the winter? Some of us do this, but society as a whole does not do nearly enough to 

conserve energy. 

I can only assume that those who are opposed to these rules do not have children or grandchildren, 

because why would any decent person choose inaction over their children's futures. And that is what is 

truly at stake. As things stand right now, we are way too slow taking action to transition away from 

GHG-emitting energy sources. It is not an exaggeration to say that human-caused climate change is the 

greatest crisis human beings have ever faced. This plan is a step in the right direction, but much more 

needs to be done, and fast. Future generations will judge us based on the actions we take or choose not 

to take. We have already wasted too much time debating this issue. There is no more time to waste. 

Pvc a re.. ----- ~ ,5;~, 

The following paragraphs eliminated from oral comments in order to avoid overly technical testimony 

and stay within time limits: 

Atmospheric CO2 was approximately 275 ppm before the industrial revolution and did not exceed 300 

ppm for the past 650,000 years (Foster and Rohling 2013). It's now reached 400 ppm. Based on the 

concentration of atmospheric CO2 as of 2011, the authors estimated that future sea level is committed 

to rise at least 9 meters (30 feet) above present-day once the land-based ice sheets have fully 

responded to the warming and the Earth system once again reaches equilibrium (68% confidence) 

(Foster and Rohling 2013). 

The recently-released National Climate Assessment states, with high confidence, that global mean sea 

level will rise no more than 2 meters by the year 2100. Based on my reading of much of the most recent 

peer-reviewed literature on the subject, this is a gross underestimate which fails to take into account 

accelerating rates of land-based ice sheet disintegration. Peer-reviewed models which DO take into 

account accelerating melt rates of land-based ice project a rise of at least 5 meters by the end of this 

century (e.g., Hansen and Sato 2012). 

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References: 

Foster, G.L., and E.J. Rohling. 2013. Relationship between sea level and climate forcing by CO2 on 

geological timescales. PNAS 2013; published ahead of print January 3, 2013, 

doi:10.1073/pnas.1216073110. 

Hansen, J.E., and M. Sato. 2012. Paleoclimate Implications for Human-Made Climate Change,.ln A. 

Berger et al. (eds), Climate Change. DOI 10.1007/978-3-7091-0973-1_2, Springer-Verlag Wien. 

http://www.lung.org/finding-cures/our-research/trend-reports/estimated-prevalence.pdf 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/amazing-weather-stats-on-the-s/15600436 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/21/new-york-city-temperature-record n 4487182.html 

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-Vork/weather/warm-weather-breaks-records-new-york-article1.1555637 

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/07/22/cbs-news-reports-world-breaks-global-heat-record-again/ 

http://climate.udel.edu/news/record-rainfall-and-warm-temperatures-across-delaware-lune-2013 

http://capitalclimate.blogspot.com/2013/08/super-summer-soaker-phloods.html 

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Heavy-Rain-Causes-Flooding-Road-Closures-- 

217313101.html 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/historical-rain-floods-the-phi/15878114 

http://www.nrdc.org/health/climate/de.asp#airpollution 

http://www.weather.com/news/science/environment/weather-disasters-have-cost-worid-24-trillion20140717 

Marcott, S.A., J.D. Shakun, P.U. Clark, and A.C. Mix. 2013. A Reconstruction of Regional and Global 

Temperature for the Past 11,300 Years. Science, Vol. 339, no. 6124, pp. 1198-1201. 

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