The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency received more than 1.6 million comments by the close of the review period for the proposed Clean Power Plan.
“We’ve heard that the carbon reduction targets we proposed are too tough, and we’ve heard that they’re not tough enough—and much, much more,” wrote Janet McCabe, the agency’s acting assistant administrator for air and radiation. “What we know for sure is that people care about this issue, and we know we have a lot to consider as we work toward a final rule.”
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By the time comments closed December 1, Environmental Entrepreneurs had collected more than 300 signatures supporting the Clean Power Plan’s flexibility, as well as the clear market signal it sends to the private sector. “While we believe the Clean Power Plan is both a critical environmental policy and a potentially huge economic catalyst, we also think it could do more to motivate states to further invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy,” the organization told EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
Ceres, through its Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) initiative, wrote to President Barack Obama to express support on behalf of 223 companies, including IKEA, Mars Inc., VF Corporation, and Nestlé. “As businesses concerned about the immediate and long-term implications of climate change, we strongly support the principles behind the draft Carbon Pollution Standard for existing power plants,” the letter stated.
