With Repeal of Clean Power Plan, Administration Prioritizes Polluters over the Health of People and National Parks

Statement by Stephanie Kodish, Senior Director & Counsel, Clean Air Program for National Parks Conservation Association

“Today, the Trump administration is choosing polluters over public health and our environment, disregarding the very job the Environmental Protection Agency is charged with doing. The move to repeal the Clean Power Plan will undo years of stakeholder collaboration that included more than two million public comments, with the majority in support of significantly reducing air pollution from coal-fired power plants. These facilities are the number one source of carbon dioxide that is fueling climate change. Repealing this rule increases the threat to our national parks, which are on the front lines, facing the rapidly intensifying impacts of a warming planet. Everglades National Park is subjected to more powerful and frequent hurricanes and rising oceans. Yosemite is beleaguered by extended drought and extreme wildfires. Mitigating these harms should be a priority for the agency charged with environmental protection. Instead, Administrator Pruitt continues to put the interests of polluters over the air that we breathe, and denies facts about climate science and the effective actions required to protect the public and our parks.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.3 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s natural, historic, and cultural heritage for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.