Zachary Barber: As climate change becomes harder to ignore, new EPA proposal gives hope

The threat posed by climate change has never been more apparent. Across the country, record-breaking heat waves have battered the southwest, while ocean water temperatures in Florida have soared past 100 degrees. The smoky haze of wildfire smoke exposed Pittsburghers to unsafe levels of soot pollution. Our region measured its worst Air Quality Index reading at 212, a level the EPA warns is “very unhealthy” and poses risk to everyone. This pollution is especially harmful to the tens of thousands of local residents suffering from asthma and other respiratory conditions.

This kind of extreme weather and health-threatening air pollution are exactly the type of problems scientists warned us would result from climate change. To avoid the worst impacts, it’s critical that the U.S. dramatically reduce the amount of carbon pollution it’s releasing into the atmosphere.

Fortunately the new plan put forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would make huge strides toward tackling global warming pollution by limiting climate-warming carbon emissions from coal- and some gas-fired power plants. The proposal would eliminate 617 million tons of global warming pollution by 2042. This is equivalent to halting the annual climate emissions of half of all cars in the U.S.

It’s vital we tackle emissions from the power sector, as dirty coal- and gas-fired power plants are the largest source of climate pollution in Pennsylvania, and the second-largest source in the U.S. PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center’s Dirty Dozen report found that power plants accounted for nearly 30% of the commonwealth’s climate emissions. Our corner of the commonwealth has contributed more than our fair share of this pollution. Southwestern Pennsylvania accounted for nearly half of statewide emissions of climate pollution from large emitters.

Still, this proposal could be strengthened to further reduce global warming pollution. Specifically, the EPA should close loopholes in their current proposal that would exempt many dirty gas-fired power plants from meeting these proposed pollution limits. This is particularly critical here, as dozens of gas plants in Pennsylvania could be exempted from the EPA’s proposal. To ensure the maximum benefit, EPA should also speed up their proposed timeline for implementing these pollution reductions across all plants.

Of course, the nation’s largest fossil-fuel companies and their powerful lobbyists and political allies in Washington, D.C., are doing everything in their power to stop this important proposal dead in its tracks — that’s why it’s crucial that concerned Pennsylvanians have their voice heard on this important climate initiative. Today is the last day to submit public comments on the new plan at www.regulations.gov/.

This summer has been a stark reminder of what a future with climate change looks like. We owe it to our children, grandchildren and future generations to leave them with a climate-safe planet. And the Biden administration’s current proposal will help us do just that.

Zachary Barber is a clean air advocate for PennEnvironment.