Impacts will be felt throughout the US, groups forecasted. For example, Brett Korte, a senior staff attorney for Clean Wisconsin, said he is bracing for “devastating consequences” if the rollback is allowed to stand.
“Here in Wisconsin, we’re experiencing warmer winters with less snow and ice cover, more exceedingly hot days in summer, and more frequent extreme weather events, like flooding and tornadoes, due to climate change,” Korte said. “On top of that, Wisconsin has the ninth-highest death rate from particulate matter pollution from fossil fuel combustion. EPA abandoning its responsibility to regulate carbon pollution would only make these problems worse.”
The EPA’s timing is terrible, and communities will experience unnecessary deaths if the court does not intervene, said Vickie Patton, who serves as general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund.
“More Americans than ever are suffering from the dangerous heat and more powerful storms caused by that pollution and are facing the ensuing skyrocketing insurance bills and health costs,” Patton said. By increasing power plant climate pollution in this moment, the EPA rule change “will cause thousands of premature deaths and billions of dollars in additional health costs,” she predicted.
“We are taking action in the court of law to ensure [the] EPA carries out its responsibilities under our nation’s clean air laws to protect the American people from this harmful pollution and to address the health risks and financial costs for people across the country,” Patton said.
Thousands of Americans have submitted comments on the rule change so far, and the EPA continues to seek public input. At the end of this month, the EPA will hold a public hearing on the proposed repeal, and a public comment period extends through October.