Coalition Cites Critical Need for Rules in Order to Protect the Public, Environment, and Grow our Economies
Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced today that Rhode Island is joining a coalition of 25 states, cities and counties filing a motion to intervene to defend the federal Environmental Protection Agency's "Clean Power Plan" against legal challenge. The coalition's motion to intervene in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit responds to suits that several states and industry groups have filed challenging the rule.
The Clean Power Plan rule requires fossil-fueled power plants, the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the nation, to cut their emissions pursuant to the Clean Air Act.
"Rhode Island has and continues to be a strong proponent of national guidelines for greenhouse gas emission reductions, which are necessary to maximize both emissions reductions and incentives for the development of cleaner energy sources," said Attorney General Kilmartin. "This country needs to act now or states such as Rhode Island face serious consequences from sea level rise and climate changes, including coastal erosion, increased storm damage, and changes to our fisheries."
The EPA adopted the Clean Power Plan through a multi-year stakeholder process that drew heavily on the experience of states and utilities in reducing power plant greenhouse gas emissions.
The finalization of the Clean Power Plan marks the culmination of a decade-long effort by states and cities to require mandatory cuts in the emissions of climate change pollution from fossil fuel burning power plants under the Clean Air Act. The Clean Power Plan, along with the companion rule on new, modified, and reconstructed power plants, will control these emissions by setting limits on the amount of climate change pollution that power plants can emit. The rule for existing plants is expected to eliminate as much climate change pollution as is emitted by more than 160 million cars a year – or as much as 70% of the nation's passenger cars.
Rhode Island has already taken significant actions to comply with the Clean Power Plan, including participation since 2009 in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which limited carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from member states and established a CO2 Budget Trading Program. The RGGI program, in conjunction with other state clean energy policies, has helped reduce CO2 emissions in Rhode Island and other member states by approximately 40% since 2005.
The states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, the District of Columbia, the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boulder, South Miami, and Broward County (FL) have all joined the coalition.