EPA Hearings in Pittsburgh Bring Out Climate Activists

November 12, 2015

The EPA’s plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants should be as strong as possible to curtail the worst impacts of climate change. That was the message coming from a stream of speakers at a public hearing on the plan in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Thursday's hearing was the first of four to be held around the country this month to collect public comment about the new rules. The EPA’s Clean Power Plan was finalized in August and seeks to cut carbon emissions from the electric sector by 32 percent of 2005 levels by the year 2030.

The plan gives states the option to come up with their own ways to cut down on carbon pollution. If they don’t put together their own plans, states will have to accept a federal plan, which involves a cap-and-trade system. Pennsylvania is planning to submit its own plan, but environmentalists said what goes into the federal plan is still relevant for the state. 

Jamin Bogi of the Pittsburgh-based Group Against Smog and Pollution said a strong federal plan would protect the state from air pollution in the event that upwind states decide against submitting proposals.

“It wouldn’t be fair to the industries here in Pennsylvania doing all this work to address emissions, and the guys next door do nothing,” Bogi said. 

Power plants account for about one third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.—by far the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gases, according to the EPA. 

Coal plants account for most of these emissions, and the final rule would squeeze coal the most. By the EPA's own estimates, 14 to 19 percent of coal-fired power “is projected to be uneconomic” by 2030 under the plan. The agency predicts coal to slide from 36 percent of our electric generation this year to 27 percent in 2030. Coal provided 49 percent of the nation's power in 2008.

States with big coal industries, like Ohio and West Virginia are suing to stop the plan. Even with their pending lawsuit, Ohio and West Virginia are planning to submit their own plans.

"While Ohio is challenging the legality of the Clean Power Plan, we are moving forward with determining how to comply with it also," said Heidi Griesmer, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Members of the public gather at a climate rally outside EPA hearings in Pittsburgh, November 12, 2015. The EPA is currently taking public comment on the Clean Power Plan, which aims to cut emissions from coal-fired power plants and provides incentives for renewable energy. Photo: Reid Frazier

The speakers at Thursday's hearing overwhelmingly supported the plan, which enjoys support in public opinion polls. 

Ed Perry of the National Wildlife Federation said climate change is already impacting Pennsylvania's ecology. State scientists predict climate change will cause temperatures in Pennsylvania to rise by 5 degrees by the year 2050. This will cut down on habitat and increase pest populations in Pennsylvania, Perry says.

“Our state fish, our state bird and our state tree are on the way out,” Perry said. “Climate scientists forecast that we’re going to lose the ruffed grouse, the eastern hemlock and the brook trout by the year 2100.”

Other speakers included activists from as far away as Buffalo and Detroit. They say cutting down on carbon emissions will help improve air quality in their hometowns.

Vicki Dobbins came to the hearing from the industrial town of River Rouge, Michigan, just outside Detroit.

The town has a coal-fired power plant, a refinery, and steel and coke plants. It also is home to Michigan’s most polluted zip code.

“River Rouge is the highest-polluted area in the state of Michigan, so we want to come and let the EPA know that it’s time to clean up our area,” Dobbins said. 

Though the coal industry was not represented at Thursday’s hearings in Pittsburgh, the industry continues to argue the plan is too expensive.

A coal-industry funded study found that Pennsylvania's electric costs could go up by 20 percent. The EPA’s own analysis found that with increased energy efficiency, electric bills could actually go down under the plan.

Luke Popovich, spokesman for the National Mining Association, said the environmental benefits from the Clean Power Plan would be minimal because developing countries will keep burning coal. 

“It doesn’t matter what we do,” Popovich said. "Are we supposed to go to other countries and say, 'We’re raising our energy costs—please would you do the same thing?'" 

The lawsuit against the plan isn't expected to reach the Supreme Court until 2018. By that time, states will already have to start complying with the plan.