Hi everyone, I'm Gina McCarthy,
Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
I am so proud to let you know that the United States
has just taken a big step forward on climate change.
We finalized our Clean Power Plan,
which cuts dangerous carbon pollution
from our nation's power plants.
I want to tell you about how it's going to lay the foundation
for a healthier future and a stronger economy.
Fossil fuel power plants are our number-one source
of carbon pollution which fuels climate change,
making up almost a third of our nation's emissions.
We have standards for smog- and soot-forming pollutants,
as well as toxics from power plants, but until this rule,
there were no national limits for carbon pollution.
That's why we took action.
By 2030, the Clean Power Plan will reduce carbon emissions
by 32% below 2005 levels.
Because carbon pollution comes packaged
with other dangerous pollutants, our plan protects public health,
preventing thousands of premature deaths,
asthma attacks, and missed work and school days.
Our plan will grow and strengthen our economy
by sending longer-term market signals
that will drive innovation and investment.
It will keep energy affordable and reliable.
It will steer us towards where the world is going,
not looking back at where it's been.
States, cities, and businesses are already well on their way
to a cleaner, more efficient power system,
and our Clean Power Plan builds on their progress.
All 50 states have utilities that work with consumers
to help them be more energy efficient.
Thirty-seven have standards or goals
to use more renewable energy, like wind and solar.
Ten states have market-based programs
to help reduce emissions,
and 25 states have energy efficiency goals or standards.
So they're already on the right track.
You know how I know we got this rule right?
Because we listened.
Before we even put pen to paper on our proposal,
we held hundreds of meetings and conversations.
We received 4.3 million comments on our proposal,
and we used that input to make changes
so the final rule is ambitious, but it's achievable.
States and utilities will have the flexibility
that they need to meet their targets.
Under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Power Plan
sets a carbon pollution goal for each state,
and it gives states the flexibility to meet their goals
in whatever way works best for them.
They can help power plants
make sure they're running as efficiently as possible,
or they can use cleaner plants more often
and use more renewable energy.
They can also use market-based programs
within their state.
They can trade emissions with other states,
and they can take advantage of energy efficiency
to hit their targets.
Our plan mirrors the way
electricity already moves around the grid.
It sets a fair, consistent standard
for power plants nationwide, and it puts states
in the driver's seat to meet their goals.
EPA's Clean Power Plan is a major step forward
under President Obama's Climate Action Plan.
But climate change is a global problem
that demands a global solution.
Already, U.S. action helped spur
announcements from China and Brazil to limit their emissions.
With many of the world's largest economies
making major commitments,
we're confident other countries will step up,
and the world will secure an ambitious and lasting agreement
on climate in Paris this year.
President Obama has spoken of our moral obligation
to our kids and to future generations to act.
Climate impact costs us more than just money.
They endanger health and our children's future.
When we lead the way,
we turn that challenge into an opportunity.
Climate action sharpens America's competitive edge.
It moves the economy forward,
and it protects generations to come.
That's what climate action
and this Clean Power Plan are all about.