Hoyer Statement on Reports that the Trump Administration Will Rescind the Clean Power Plan

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on reports that the Trump Administration is planning to rescind the Clean Power Plan:

“Today we are witnessing the consequences of putting in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency someone who does not believe in the agency’s core mission and has spent his career seeking to undermine environmental protection.  Rescinding the Clean Power Plan would abdicate any remaining semblance of America’s leadership on combatting climate change and harm the competitiveness of our economy.  It’s time for Republicans and this Administration to stop denying what science has shown to be beyond a doubt: that our climate is changing and that human activity is contributing to these changes. 
 
“The costs of climate change to our economy, both now and projected into the future, cannot be ignored.  Already we have seen the hottest average temperatures recorded in the past few years, and powerful storms are becoming more frequent and more devastating.  Our wildfire season is now two months longer due to warmer temperatures and drier soils, threatening communities and property and busting fire suppression budgets.  Ocean acidification is threatening the economic livelihood of those who depend on oysters and other shellfish. 
 
“I will strongly oppose Administrator Pruitt and the EPA’s efforts to dismantle the Clean Power Plan, which is a reasonable and responsible set of standards that will protect the future of our planet and help spur innovation and job creation here at home.  Only by working together, with every nation committing to do its part, can humanity meet this challenge.  The lives, health, and prosperity of our children and grandchildren will depend on the seriousness with which we approach climate change.”