Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the planned rollback of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), one of the signature programs of the Obama Administration to fight climate change. The City of Philadelphia has joined peers from around the country in opposing this decision. 

What Is the Clean Power Plan?

Overwhelming scientific consensus tells us that the earth’s climate is warming and that human activity – specifically, burning fossil fuels that emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases – is the primary cause of that warming.

The single-biggest source of carbon emissions in the United States is power plants burning fossil fuels to create electricity. To address these emissions, the CPP requires each state to improve the efficiency of existing fossil fuel-fired power plants so that, by 2030, carbon pollution from the power sector will be 32% below 2005 levels.

Why Does This Matter to Philadelphia?

Climate change is already impacting Philadelphians, and those impacts will worsen in the years ahead if we cannot transition to clean (and affordable) electricity.

In addition to fighting climate change, implementing the CPP and reducing our reliance on fossil fuel-burning power plants would also improve local air quality, helping Philadelphians suffering from asthma better manage their symptoms.

While the Clean Power Plan would affect every state and regional electricity grid differently, we know the intended impact of the CPP would help dramatically reduce the carbon pollution generated by power plants on Philadelphia’s regional electricity grid:

Without the CPP, it will be even more challenging to achieve the clean electricity supply we need to meet Philadelphia’s goal of reducing carbon pollution 80 percent by 2050.

What Can I Do?

The CPP was the results of years of legal and regulatory effort by the Obama Administration and environmental and health advocates. To roll back the CPP, the Trump Administration will need to justify why the plan won’t benefit all Americans, and the resulting legal process will create further opportunities to weigh in on the future of federal climate action:

1. Submit public comment: The EPA will accept public comment on the proposed rollback for a 60-day period. Learn how you can make your voice heard in the regulatory process.
2. Call your representatives: Reach out to elected officials at the federal level and let them know you support Congressional action to protect the Clean Power Plan and fight climate change.
3. Take action at home: While preventing the worse causes of climate change will take action from the federal government, there are steps we can take at home to do our part. Check out our Greenworks on the Ground guides to learn more.
4. Tell us what you think: Join our mailing list to be the first to receive and provide comments on Powering Our Future: A Clean Energy Vision for Philadelphia, which will be released as a public draft later this fall.