North Carolina Clean Air Groups Join Together to Deliver Eight Millionth Comment Supporting EPA Limits on Carbon Pollution from Power Plants

Milestone Comment Delivered as the Public Comment Period Closed Today, Highlighting 2+-Year Effort to Give a Voice to North Carolinians Who Want Clean Energy and Action on Climate Change

Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center

Raleigh, NC–   As the public comment period on the Clean Power Plan came to a close today, North Carolina groups supporting climate action delivered a symbolic “8 millionth” comment supporting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. Since early 2012, the following North Carolina groups and many others have collected over 200,000 comments, contributing to the 8 million comments overall that have been collected from among the majority of North Carolinians and other Americans who support clean energy and carbon pollution limits for power plants.

The joint public comment, supported by the groups listed below, is as follows:

“Since the EPA first began collecting them in 2012, clean air supporters have collected and submitted more than 8 million public comments nationally. This includes 201,957 North Carolinians who support EPA standards to limit dangerous carbon pollution from power plants. While federal limits exist for toxic air pollutants like mercury, arsenic and soot, there are currently no limits on the carbon pollution power plants dump into our air.  

“This symbolic 8 millionth comment reflects the broad support that exists in North Carolina for solutions to reduce the carbon pollution from power plants that fuels climate change and puts our health, our economy and our communities at risk. Among those who have submitted public comments to the EPA are twenty-five local elected officials, nearly fifty solar businesses, one hundred and fifty-five faith leaders and more than a hundred medical professionals from around North Carolina, who joined their communities in support of the Clean Power Plan. This demonstration of support for U.S. leadership on climate change is unprecedented and exceeds, by far, the anti-science, anti-action efforts of the polluters and their allies.

“North Carolinians do not have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. We can have both. Over the last four decades, clean air standards have reduced air pollution by 70% while GDP has tripled.  The Clean Power Plan will significantly cut carbon pollution from power plants while preventing 150,000 asthma attacks and saving $95 billion per year by 2030. We applaud the EPA and the Administration for its unprecedented public outreach and efforts to craft a carbon pollution standard that every North Carolinian can support.”

Environment North Carolina
Clean Air Carolina
North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light

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