ST. LOUIS - Today, the comment period closed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Clean Power Plan, which gives states the opportunity to build plans to lower carbon pollution from power plants in order to address climate disruption.
Since the Clean Power Plan was released in June 2014, the Sierra Club worked with partner organizations to collect more than 7,000 comments in support of the Clean Power Plan from Missouri citizens. Polling last month by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates released by Clean Air Missouri showed that an overwhelming 77 percent of Missourians favor limiting carbon pollution. Residents recently delivered the comments to the Kansas City and St. Louis offices of Senator Claire McCaskill to show popular support for climate action in Missouri.
Last month, Governor Jay Nixon submitted a letter to EPA highlighting the importance of including the retirement of old coal plants in the Clean Power Plan. Gov. Nixon also highlighted the importance of renewables and efficiency in the Clean Power Plan, recognizing clean energy as a growing part of Missouri’s economy.
“The Clean Power Plan offers a tremendous economic growth opportunity for the state of Missouri, which is why so many citizens spoke out in support of it. We already have strong policies - like the Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act and the state's Renewable Energy Standard - that can put us easily on track to hit our carbon pollution reduction goals while creating jobs in Missouri if implemented in the right way.
“Missouri cannot afford to be left behind when it comes to building a clean energy economy. While Missouri’s aging power plants damage our health and raise our rates, making smart investments in clean energy like wind, solar and efficiency will help Missouri cut dangerous pollution and modernize our energy fleet. We applaud Governor Nixon for recognizing the need to make this transition away from dirty fossil fuels to clean energy in his Clean Power Plan comments to the EPA.
“It’s time for Missouri to catch up to neighboring states in the transition to a clean energy economy, and we will continue to organize to make that a reality.”