In a statement Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio called on leaders across the nation to join him in supporting the federal government’s Clean Power Plan, a plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.
“There’s no question that climate change is an existential threat to our city, our country, and our planet. We have a moral responsibility to take action however we can,” he said.
The Clean Power Plan was announced by the EPA in response to President Barack Obama’s goal to reduce carbon pollution from fossil fueled power plants. The proposed rules met with legal challenges from numerous coal companies, states, and other industry groups who argued the EPA did not have the legal authority to promulgate them under the Clean Air Act.
A federal court dismissed the lawsuit, deciding the challenge was premature as the rule has not been finalized yet. The rule, which is set to cut our nation’s carbon pollution from the power sector by 30 percent by 2030, is expected to be finalized in August.
