On February 9, 2016, the Supreme Court issued a stay on the Clean Power Plan. This delay, which puts implementation of these first-ever federal limits on carbon pollution on hold until all legal challenges are resolved, is very disappointing. Mothers & Others for Clean Air will continue to defend the Clean Power Plan because we know that reducing carbon emissions will protect the health of populations that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We are urging our leaders to continue work on state plans to protect the health of all citizens, especially our children. We are sending out letters to the editor in support of the Clean Power Plan and urge you to do the same.
M&O North Carolina Project Manager Alison Lawrence Jones’ letter has appeared in multiple papers across the state, including The Salisbury Post, The Wilmington Star News, The Greensboro News & Record, and The Daily Tarheel. Here is the full text of the letter:
Mothers & Others for Clean Air, a program of the American Lung Association of the Southeast, was disappointed to hear the Supreme Court’s ruling to put the Clean Power Plan on hold as the courts review the legal challenges, delaying much-needed progress toward the reduction of harmful carbon pollution.
The decision does not necessarily need to delay real health benefits to our families and neighbors, as long as Gov. Pat McCrory chooses to move ahead with plans to reduce power plant carbon pollution in North Carolina.
Carbon pollution drives climate change that threatens lung health and safety today. The Clean Power Plan, which is the first-ever national plan to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, is critical in our fight against climate change.
Meeting the plan’s original, generous deadlines promises significant health benefits, including the prevention nationwide of up to 3,600 premature deaths and 90,000 asthma attacks in 2030, as well as 300,000 missed days of work and school. N.C.’s families, including our most vulnerable populations, cannot afford delayed protection.
Governor McCrory, delay of these benefits would not only be disappointing, but dangerous. We hope you will continue to take steps to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by developing a strong state implementation plan, which N.C. can be ready to put in place when the litigation is resolved.
Mothers & Others for Clean Air and the American Lung Association will continue to defend this critical clean air and climate protection and encourage neighboring states to make progress as well. The impacts of carbon pollution and climate change are not going away, and neither should our governor’s commitment to protecting N.C. residents.
— Alison Lawrence Jones
