At public hearing, EDF strongly opposes abandonment of protections against power plant pollution

An Environmental Defense Fund expert joined dozens of others at an EPA hearing today to oppose the Trump administration’s “reckless abandonment” of all national protections against climate pollution from fossil-fuel fired power plants. 

“Extensive peer-reviewed science confirms that greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector endanger the public health and welfare of current and future generations,” said Noha Haggag, Senior Attorney at Environmental Defense Fund, in her testimony. “EDF categorically denounces EPA’s flagrant disregard for human life and public welfare.”

On September 14, Trump EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a proposal that would obstruct EPA’s authority to set limits on carbon pollution from power plants in the future – even though two Supreme Court decisions from 2011 and 2022 have clearly affirmed EPA’s legal authority to do so. EPA held a public hearing on that proposal this week. 

At the same time, on September 14, Administrator Zeldin announced a final rule that repealed carbon standards for existing coal and new gas plants. (Environmental Defense Fund and other health and environmental groups have already filed a lawsuit challenging it.) That final rule shows that even a partial repeal “will result in massive increases of air pollution,” Haggag said in her testimony.

“This pollution carries real costs — including dangerous heat, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, and rising home-insurance and health-care bills,” said Haggag. “The repeal will also result in increased soot, smog, and acid rain. EPA’s own scientific assessments link these pollutants to premature death, respiratory disease, asthma attacks, and cancer risks.”

An analysis by Environmental Defense Fund found that the partial repeal would cause more than 80,000 extra deaths, one trillion dollars in additional health costs and $1.7 trillion in cumulative climate-related harms through 2047. The proposal discussed at today’s hearing would be even more drastic.

You can read Haggag’s full testimony here.