On May 11, 2023, Sierra Taliaferro, EPN Community Outreach Associate for the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast (EPA Regions 3 and 4), and EPN Senior Advisor Jeremy Symons attended the announcement of EPA’s draft power plant rule. The rule proposes new standards for coal and new natural gas-fired power plants, which would avoid over 600 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution and prevent thousands of health issues and premature deaths. The proposal requires that states, in developing plans for existing sources, undertake meaningful engagement with affected stakeholders, including communities disproportionately burdened by pollution and climate change impacts, as well as energy communities.
EPN released this statement, “America is ready to flip the switch and turn on a clean energy future that protects public health and our planet. Nobody wants to plug their refrigerator or toaster into an electric grid that dumps smokestack pollution from power plants into our air. EPA has taken an important step by proposing new rules that will reduce power plant pollution and make cleaner energy more widely available across the nation. It’s critical to our health and the environment that EPA finalizes strong power plant rules after reviewing and considering public input.”
Read the Greenhouse Gas Standards and Guidelines for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants.
Pictured above (left to right): Sierra Taliaferro and EPA Administrator Michael Regan; Sierra Taliaferro and Maryland Governor Wes Moore)