Reps. Levin, Castor, SEEC Urge Environmental Protection Agency to Adopt Robust Powerplant Standards
Washington, D.C. – House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Members Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Kathy Castor (FL-14) along with the SEEC Co-Chairs — Reps. Doris Matsui (CA-7), Mike Quigley (IL-5), and Paul Tonko (NY-20) — led a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan, urging the agency to adopt strong, comprehensive standards for existing gas-fired powerplants. These five members were joined by 81 of their House colleagues in signing the letter. This follows March 2023 and July 2023 letters that the SEEC leaders sent in support of strong limits for fossil fuel-fired power plant pollution through EPA’s authority under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act.
“We appreciate EPA’s commitment to setting meaningful and comprehensive pollution standards for our nation’s power plants, and respectfully urge you to adopt final rules on existing gas-fired power plants that include the strongest possible standards to limit greenhouse gases and other pollutants,” the Members wrote. “In particular, these rules must take a comprehensive approach to the existing gas fleet by addressing all types of gas plants and their cumulative impacts, as well as the full spectrum of air pollution. Further, we urge you to conduct robust stakeholder engagement as part of this process—including among impacted workers and frontline and environmental justice communities.”
“Over the last four years, EPA has made immense progress towards securing a more equitable and climate-friendly future for our nation. We look forward to working with you to build on this momentum and securing the strongest possible standards to limit pollution from existing gas power plants.”
The letter can be found here.
In April, EPA finalized impactful greenhouse gas emissions standards for new gas and existing coal powerplants that will curb 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution through 2047 and provide hundreds of billions of dollars in health and climate benefits. The agency is now taking major steps this year to build on this progress by advancing emissions standards for existing gas power plants, a major source of climate-warming pollution and air toxics that threaten human health.
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