>>> THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS PROPOSING MAJOR OVERHAULS OF THE
CLIMATE REGULATIONS ALLOWING
STATES TO SET THEIR OWN RULES ON
COAL EMISSIONS.
COAL EMISSIONS. I WANT TO LOOK AT THESE NEW
RULES AND THE POTENTIAL IMPACT
ON OUR ENVIRONMENT AND ON OUR
HEALTH.
HEALTH. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
THE EPA, IS BEHIND THIS PLAN.
IT WOULD REVERSE OBAMA-ERA
MEASURES TO COMBAT CLIMATE
CHANGE, SPECIFICALLY THE
SIGNATURE CLEAN POWER PLANT.
TRUMP’S NEW RULES ARE PROJECTED
TO ALLOW FOR 12 TIMES THE AMOUNT
OF CARBON DIOXIDE RELEASED INTO
THE ATMOSPHERE WHEN COMPARED
WITH OBAMA’S CLEAN POWER PLAN.
ACCORDING TO THE EPA, THE NEW
RULES COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON
OVER 300 U.S. POWER PLANTS.
IT PROJECTS THAT THIS PROPOSAL
WOULD MAKE SLIGHT CUTS TO
OVERALL POLLUTANT EMISSIONS OVER
THE NEXT DECADE.
BUT THE NUMBERS AREN’T THAT
GREAT WHEN COMPARED TO THE OBAMA
PLAN THAT WAS IN PLACE.
BY 2030, THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION’S CLEAN POWER
PLAN WOULD HAVE REDUCED CARBON
DIOXIDE EMISSIONS BY ABOUT 19%
COMPARED TO 2005 LEVELS.
THAT WOULD BE THE EQUIVALENT OF
TAKING 75 MILLION CARS OFF THE
ROAD.
ROAD. THE NEW PLAN WILL HAVE LESS OF
AN IMPACT THAN OBAMA’S PLAN BUT
STILL A NET REDUCTION FROM THOSE
2005 LEVELS, CUTTING CO2
EMISSIONS BY JUST 0.7% TO 2.5%
IN THE SAME TIME FRAME.
THAT’S EQUAL TO TAKING ONLY 2.7
TO 5.3 MILLION CARS OFF THE
ROAD.
ROAD. WHEN IT COMES TO SULPHUR DIOXIDE
AND NITROGEN OXIDE EMISSIONS,
ELEMENTS THAT FORM SMOG, THOSE
WOULD BE CUT BY 1% AND 2% RICHLY
UNDER THE NEW PLAN COMPARED TO
22% AND 24% UNDER OBAMA’S PLAN.
NOW THE COST OF COAL ENERGY
SEEMS LIKE A BARGAIN UP FRONT
BECAUSE COAL-POWERED ELECTRICITY
COSTS ABOUT 3.2 CENTS PER
KILOWATT HOUR.
KILOWATT HOUR. THAT’S ENOUGH TO RUN YOUR
MICROWAVE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR
STRAIGHT.
STRAIGHT. BUT IF YOU FACTOR IN THE COST OF
HEALTH CARE, COAL IS ABOUT 170%
MORE EXPENSIVE.
MORE EXPENSIVE. EACH KILOWATT HOUR OF COAL
GENERATED ELECTRICITY COSTS AT
LEAST AN ADDITIONAL 5.6 CENTS OF
DAMAGE TO OUR WELL-BEING.
THAT INCLUDES THE PRICE OF
HEALTH CARE AND CLIMATE
CHANGE-RELATED DAMAGES.
CHANGE-RELATED DAMAGES. A STUDY FROM HARVARD MEDICAL
SCHOOL ESTIMATES THE PUBLIC
HEALTH COST OF COAL IN
APPALACHIA ALONE IS A WHOPPING
$74.6 BILLION.
$74.6 BILLION. THAT’S THE PUBLIC HEALTH CARE.
WE’RE GOING TO BE PAYING FOR
THESE NEW RULES OVER THE NEXT
FEW DECADES WITH OUR POCK DLET
BOOK
BOOK -- POCKETBOOKS AND OUR HEALTH.
GINA McCARTHY JOINS US.
WHAT’S THE MEDIUM AND LONGER
TERM IMPACT OF ROLLING BACK THE
CLEAN POWER PLAN?
>> I DON’T KNOW WHETHER I CAN DO
A BETTER JOB THAN YOU JUST
DESCRIBED BUT LET ME GIVE IT A
SHOT.
SHOT. REALLY, THIS CLEAN POWER PLAN AS
I UNDERSTAND IT IS REALLY A
PROPOSAL THAT IS FOLLOWING THE
INDUSTRY PLAYBOOK STEP BY STEP.
IT’S ALL ABOUT COAL AT ALL COST.
IT’S ABOUT DEFERRING THE MISSION
OF THE AGENCY SO THAT YOU CAN
SAVE A FEW DOLLARS.
AND IT IS, IN FACT, NOT EVEN
GOING TO SAVE A FEW DOLLARS.
IT’S GOING TO IMPACT OUR HEALTH,
OUR WELL-BEING, THE FUTURE FOR
OUR KIDS.
OUR KIDS. WHY THEY’RE DOING THIS IS VERY
SIMPLE.
SIMPLE. THEY’RE SIMPLY PLAYING TO THEIR
BASE AT THIS POINT.
AND IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT
PUSHING COAL OUT AS IF THAT’S A
PATH FORWARD INSTEAD OF CLEAN
ENERGY WHICH IS WHERE YOU GET
THE BIGGEST BANG FOR THE BUCK
ALL AROUND.
ALL AROUND. >> WE’VE SEEN THE BASE WHEN IT
COMES TO COAL IS SMALL, AND
PEOPLE WHO WORK IN COAL HAVE
LEGITIMATE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT
THEIR FUTURE IS GOING TO LOOK
LIKE.
LIKE. WE COULD SPEND MONEY IN
ADDRESSING THOSE CONCERNS, IN
RETRAINING IN DOING OTHER
THINGS.
THINGS. WE ARE PROTECTING AN INDUSTRY
THAT IT’S A LITTLE STRANGE TO
PROTECT.
PROTECT. WHAT IS -- THIS IS PART OF WHY
YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT WHY SCOTT
PRUITT WAS IN THERE FOR SO LONG.
THIS IS WHAT THEY’RE BUSY DOING
AT THE EPA, DEREGULATING.
>> THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE
DOING.
DOING. THEY’RE NOT PAYING ANY ATTENTION
TO THE MISSION OF THE AGENCY.
BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY WITH
THIS RULE, ALI, IS THEY’RE NOT
JUST GOING TO RESULT IN
SIGNIFICANTLY MORE CARBON
POLLUTION THAN WHAT WOULD HAVE
HAPPENED UNDER THE CLEAN POWER
PLAN.
PLAN. THEY’RE ACTUALLY COSTING US A
LOT MORE.
LOT MORE. THEY ARE DEFERRING THE FEDERAL
JUDGMENT AND GIVING IT TO STATES
WHO COULD ESSENTIALLY DO LITTLE
OR NOTHING TO REDUCE CARBON
POLLUTION.
POLLUTION. TOTALLY UP TO THEM.
AND CONTRAST TO THE CAR RULES
WHICH WE JUST SAW, THAT WAS ALL
ABOUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TAKING CHARGE AND ELIMINATING
CALIFORNIA’S ABILITY AS A STATE
AND OTHERS TO ACTUALLY GO
FURTHER.
FURTHER. SO THIS IS JUST, YOU KNOW, PART
OF A PLAYBOOK THAT IS NOTHING
BUT TAKING AWAY OUR PUBLIC
HEALTH PROTECTIONS, DEFERRING
REAL ACTION WE NEED FOR OUR
FUTURE.
FUTURE. AND ALL AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR
POCK
POCK POCKETBOOKS AND OUR HEALTH.
>> AT LEAST CALIFORNIA AND THE
CAR ISSUE IS SUING ON THAT.
IF THERE IS A FUTURE AND AN
ADMINISTRATION THAT ISN’T SORT
OF NOT IN DENIAL ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE, COULD THIS BE REBUILT?
COULD WE GO BACK -- CAN WE GET
BACK ON TRACK IF THIS HAPPENS?
>> HERE’S THE CHALLENGE THAT WE
HAVE.
HAVE. YOU KNOW, THE CLEAN ERGY
MOVEMENT IN THE U.S. IS STRONG.
BUT WE CAN’T AFFORD THE KIND OF
DELAYS THAT WE’RE SEEING FROM
THIS ADMINISTRATION.
THIS ADMINISTRATION. OF COURSE WE’LL COME BACK.
PEOPLE KNOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS
REAL.
REAL. AND EPA IS NOT IN THIS RULE
ACTUALLY DENYING THAT OR DENYING
EPA’S RESPONSIBILITY TO REDUCE
THE CARBON POLLUTION THAT’S
FUELING CLIMATE CHANGE.
THEY’RE JUST NOT DOING IT.
AND SO WHAT YOU SEE IS THIS IS
ANOTHER DELAY.
ANOTHER DELAY. THE GREAT NEWS IS THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS AN ABYSMAL
TRACK RECORD WHEN THEY’RE TRYING
TO DELAY NEEDED PROTECTIONS LIKE
THIS.
THIS. AND THE D.C. CIRCUIT, WHEN
THEY’RE LOOKING AT THESE
APPEALS, ARE REALLY SLAMMING
THEM BACK.
THEM BACK. MOST RECENTLY, WE SAW A REVERSAL
OF THE DELAYS ON THE WATERS OF
THE U.S.
THE U.S. A REVERSAL ON THE DELAYS OF A
PESTICIDE THAT HURTS OUR KIDS.
A REVERSAL ON THE DELAYS
RELATIVE TO OTHER RULES MOVING
FORWARD LIKE OUR CHEMICAL
MANUFACTURING SAFETY RULES.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> ALL OF THOSE ARE GETTING
THROWN BACK AT EPA.
THE BAD NEWS IS THAT EVERY
MINUTE AND EVERY YEAR WE DELAY
IN MAKING CLIMATE ACTION REAL
AND HAPPEN, WE ARE LOSING U.S.