Carper, Coons blast rollback of Clean Power Plan

Delaware's governor and both its U.S. senators sharply criticized President Donald Trump's executive order rolling back the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.

“The safety and health of Delawareans, our economy and our natural resources are dependent not only on our actions as a state, but on a shared, urgent commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Gov. John Carney in a statement March 29. “It’s a bad idea to abandon any tools that help us combat the real effects of climate change.”

Implemented in 2015, the plan caps carbon pollution produced by power plants in an effort to significantly reduce America's greenhouse emissions by 2030. 

The plan required all states to develop plans to reduce emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated Delaware, compared to other states, would have to impose moderate carbon emission goals to meet air pollution limits.

But air pollution in Delaware isn’t necessarily produced by Delaware plants.

In 2016, First State officials filed federal Clean Air Act petitions asking the EPA to issue violations to out-of-state power plants, arguing cross-border air pollution coming from those sources affects the health of Delawareans, causing asthma and other respiratory problems. Delaware directly targeted power plants in York County, Pa., and Hayward, W. Va.

Under Trump’s March 28 order, those plants no longer be required to adhere to pollution caps.

Sen. Tom Carper has previously said cross-border air pollution is a serious concern when it comes to the health and welfare of Delawareans. As the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he led a press conference March 28 slamming Trump's decision to roll back the historic climate change rule, arguing Trump’s action will lead to “a dirtier and less prosperous future.”

“This order clearly proves that this administration is not serious about protecting jobs and our environment,” Carper said. “Let's be perfectly clear: this executive order will not bring back the coal industry.”

Other members of the Senate committee offered more scathing criticisms.

“This executive order only demeans Donald Trump himself, his administration and, ultimately, our country,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island. “But the American people should know this moment of national embarrassment is brought to you by the fossil fuel industry.”

Others noted the order jeopardizes the nation's role as an international leader in climate science.

“By elevating the extraction of fossil fuels at a time when our renewable energy sector is beginning to realize its vast potential, today’s actions by the Trump administration have compromised America’s energy security interests and our leadership role on climate change in the eyes of the world,” said Maryland Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin.

March 29, the day after Trump signed the order, Carper and more than 30 other senators, including Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, introduced the Clean Air Healthy Kids Act to rescind Trump’s order.

“Delaware is already seeing some of the impacts of climate change as the lowest mean elevation state in the country,” Coons said in a press release. “We must act quickly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, not allow the progress made over the last two decades be stripped away.”

Trump has called the Clean Power Plan a job killer and an example of overregulation promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The order directs the EPA to immediately review the rule and then suspend, revise or rescind the plan. The order rescinds several of Obama's reports and executive orders on climate change, as well as technical support documents examining the social cost and impacts of carbon regulation. It also sets in motion the reopening of federal land to coal-leasing activities.

To read the full executive order, go to whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/28/presidential-executive-order-promoting-energy-independence-and-economi-1.