President Obama's Climate Agenda

• Date: 01 September 2013

9-2013 NEWS & ANALYSIS 43 ELR 10725

D I A L O G U E S

I. Fact Sheet: President Obama’s Climate

Action Plan

President Obama’s Plan to Cut Carbon Pollution:

Taking Action for Our Kids

We have a moral obligation to leave our children a planet

that’s not polluted or damaged, and by taking an all- of-

the-above approach to develop homegrown energy and

steady, responsible steps to cut carbon pollution, we can

protect our kids’ health and begin to slow the eects of cli-

mate change so we leave a cleaner, more stable environment

for future generations. Building on eorts underway in

states and communities across the country, the President’s

plan cuts carbon pollution that causes climate change a nd

threatens public health. Today, we have limits in place for

arsenic, mercury and lead, but we let power plants release

as much ca rbon pollution as they want—pollution that is

contributing to higher rates of asthma attacks and more

frequent and severe oods and heat waves.

Cutting carbon pollution will help keep our air and

water clean and protect our kids. e President’s plan

will also spark innovation across a wide variety of energy

technologies, resulting in cleaner forms of American-made

energy and cutting our dependence on foreign oil. Com-

bined with the President’s other actions to increase the e-

ciency of our cars and household appliances, the President’s

plan will help A merican families cut energy waste, lower-

ing their gas and utility bills. In addition, the plan steps

up our global eorts to lead on climate change and invests

to strengthen our roads, bridges, and shorelines so we can

better protect people’s homes, businesses, and way of life

from severe weather.

While no single step can reverse the eects of climate

change, we have a moral obligation to act on behalf of

future generations. Climate change represents one of the

major challenges of the 21st century, but as a nation of

innovators, we c an a nd will meet this challenge in a way

that advances our economy, our environment, and pub-

lic health all at the same time. at is why the President’s

comprehensive plan takes action to:

Cuts Carbon Pollution in America. In 2012, U.S. carbon

pollution from the energy sector fell to the lowest level in

two decades even as the economy continued to grow. To

build on this progress, the Obama Administration is put-

ting in place tough new rules to cut carbon pollution—just

like we have for other toxins like mercury and arsenic— so

we protect the health of our children and move our econ-

omy toward American-made clean energy sources that will

create good jobs and lower home energy bills. For example,

the plan:

• Directs EPA to work closely with states, industry and

other stakeholder to establish carbon pollution stan-

dards for both new and existing power plants;

• Makes up to $8 billion in loan guarantee authority

available for a wide array of advanced fossil energy

and eciency projects to support investments in

innovative technologies;

• Directs DOI to permit enough renewables proj-

ect—like wind and solar—on public lands by 2020

to power more than 6 million homes; designates the

rst-ever hydropower project for priority permit-

ting; and sets a new goal to install 100 megawatts

of renewables on federally assisted housing by 2020;

while maintaining the commitment to deploy renew-

ables on military installations;

• Expands the President’s Better Building Challenge,

focusing on helping commercial, industria l, and

multi-family buildings cut waste and become at least

20 percent more energy ecient by 2020;

• Sets a goal to reduce carbon pollution by at least 3

billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030—more

than half of the annual carbon pollution from the

U.S. energy sector—through eciency standards set

over the course of the Administration for appliances

and federal buildings;

• Commits to partnering with industry and stakehold-

ers to develop fuel economy standards for heavy-duty

vehicles to save families money at the pump and fur-

ther reduce reliance on foreign oil and fuel consump-

tion post-2018; and

• Leverages new opportunities to reduce pollution of

highly-potent greenhouse gases known as hydrouo-

rocarbons; directs agencies to develop a comprehen-

sive methane strategy; and commits to protect our

forests and critical landscapes.

President Obama’s Climate Agenda

is Dialogue combines two releases from the White House dated June 25, 2013: A fact

sheet on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and a presidential memorandum to the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency regarding power-sector carbon pollution standards.

Copyright © 2013 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®, http://www.eli.org, 1-800-433-5120.