Adirondack Council Praises New EPA Pollution Controls
WNBZ
Thursday, June 5, 2014
The Adirondack Council is offering praise for the EPA’s new rules requiring cuts in carbon pollution from electric power plants Announced by President Obama recently.. The Goal is to curb the nation’s emissions that lead to global climate change.
Willie Janeway is The Adirondack Council’s Executive Director he says “They are very pleased to see the EPA move toward a national solution for the control of carbon emissions.” And Janeway continues by adding.. “This brings us another step closer to a global solution,” and The Adirondack Park has a lot to lose in a rapidly warming climate.” In an email to WNBZ, Janeway also noted that the Adirondack Park contains one of the coldest climates in the lower 48 states. “This allows plants and wildlife to live in the Adirondack Mountains,” he says, “that normally survive only in the boreal forests of Canada and Siberia.”
In the Adirondack Park, winter sports are still a major component of the economy. They too would be less viable in a warmer climate. Recently, strong storms and flooding related to rising temperatures have wiped out roads and destroyed buildings here in locations that have not flooded in 300 years. In addition, the cuts in carbon pollution needed to meet the new standard will require actions that reduce air pollutants that make people sick.
“It is unfortunate that Congress couldn’t reach an agreement on curbing carbon emissions,” said Janeway. “That makes it all the more important that the President and the EPA have recognized this threat and are taking action to protect future generations.”
The proposed federal carbon reductions use the same basic approach as the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), in which New York is a participant. The RGGI rules allow states to determine the best way to meet the reduction targets, rather than dictating a specific method that may not be well suited to each state’s economy or regulatory agencies and rules. The proposed national rule does the same.
“The key is to protect the environment without harming the economy,” Janeway said. “This new rule can accomplish that task.” Janeway noted that the Adirondack Council has been an adviser to New York State officials who oversee the state’s participation in the RGGI carbon program. The Council also purchases carbon allowances from the RGGI trading program and retires them so they cannot be used to create carbon smokestack pollution
