Climate Change Impacting Most Vulnerable Americans

Washington (October 23, 2015) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and co-Chair of the Senate Climate Clearinghouse, released the following statement on and the Environmental Protection Agency and President Obama’s Clean Power Plan:

“President Obama’s Clean Power Plan captures the urgency and opportunity needed to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. It gives states the tools to cut power plant pollution that threaten our health and invest in clean energy technologies that will help boost our economy. We did it in Massachusetts through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, generating nearly $3 billion in economic benefit and saving consumers $1.5 billion since 2009.

The Clean Power Plan will help usher in the end of the dirty power plant era and unleash a clean energy revolution across the United States.  It is a signal to the market place to invest in clean energy. This week, more than 80 American companies recognized the economic imperative to act on climate by committing to cut carbon emissions. Ahead of the Paris climate negotiations, it is a signal to the world that America will lead the global effort for climate action.

Pope Francis made it clear: mankind created this problem of climate change and now mankind has a moral obligation to fix it and protect the world’s most vulnerable suffering the worst consequences of climate change.

September 2015 was the hottest month ever recorded. Now it’s time to turn up the political heat on climate deniers and their allies that will try to block this critical action to address climate change.”

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