On August 3, President Obama released the final Clean Power Plan, a historic step in the Obama Administration’s fight against climate disruption. It will help ensure the environmental and economic future of America by cutting carbon pollution from our power sector.
In response, the Sierra Club and its members celebrated this monumental plan by holding large rallies in communities across the country to thank the President and his Administration for their efforts, allowing the wider public to reflect on the progress made toward a greener, healthier America. The turnouts at these rallies show how important environmental care is to taxpayers everywhere.
Below is a quick sample.
In Indiana….
Sierra Club and many coalition partners held a large celebratory rally on August 8th at the steps of the Indiana Statehouse to applaud the Clean Power Plan and urge Governor Pence to develop a plan to meet the standards. Speakers at the event include elected officials (including one Republican Mayor), faith leaders, clean energy business owners, environmental justice leaders, youth leaders, and more, and over 200 community members attended.
While Gov. Mike Pence has voiced opposition to the Clean Power Plan, more than 67,000 Hoosiers have signed petitions supporting it and calling for action on climate change.
At the rally, Dr. Stephen Jay said that during his career as a pulmonologist, there were some days when the air quality in Indianapolis was so poor that his patients with asthma and other breathing issues were forced to stay indoors. While some critics of the plan to limit pollution from existing power plants have claimed it's too costly, Jay, a professor emeritus at Indiana University School of Medicine, argued that it is a necessary investment that ultimately will help save and enhance the lives of thousands of Hoosiers.
"It really is a small step, but it's a critically important step," he said. "We're all going to have to address this together if we're going to stabilize the increasing temperatures on the planet."
A video of the rally’s highlights can be viewed here.
In Illinois...
More than 50 Sierra Club members, community members, politicians, and faith leaders gathered to celebrate the passage of the Clean Power Plan in Waukegan on August 10th at 10:00am.
State Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) was heartened to see progress being made in her community. “It's so important for us to talk about the fact that scientists are scientists, and climate change is real," she said. "I'm really excited about what President Obama has done to move us forward. As we look at our future, we need to make sure that communities like Zion (and) Waukegan are protected. We need to make sure that we're standing up and saying, 'If you can't burn clean coal, don't burn it.'"
Also in attendance were members of Clean Power Lake County, Faith in Place, the NAACP, 9th Ward Waukegan Ald. Ann Taylor, and Lake County Board members Mary Ross Cunningham, Sandra Hart and Audrey Nixon.
In Alton, a Clean Power Plan Celebration and Petition Delivery down-state brought 41 community members to Illinois State Senator Haine and Representative Beiser. Community members delivered 275 petitions from constituents and called on the legislators to support and Co-Sponsor the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill. The mood was festive, fun and truly a celebratory event (party hats and kazoos included). The event included partnerships with Youth Environmental Network, Straight up Solar, and United Congregations of Metro East.
In Tennessee...
More than 200 Tennesseans joined Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, Sierra Club President Aaron Mair, and other community leaders at the second annual Cool Down ChattTown Festival to celebrate the Chattanooga community, sustainability, and the significant and numerous benefits of the Clean Power Plan.
Presently, these devastating effects disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color. The CPP will help retire coal plants like TVA’s Kingston and Bull Run coal plants in Tennessee, the largest contributors to dangerous carbon pollution, and transition to clean energy, thereby cutting the dangerous pollution that makes families sick.
Families who attended the event had the opportunity to speak with Mair, learn about gardening, energy efficiency, renewable energy, bike safety, and other sustainability topics, and to sign a giant thank you card to President Obama and the EPA. The event was hosted by Empower Chattanooga, Highland Park Neighborhood Association, Moms Clean Air Force, Sierra Club, and Climate Chattanooga, a coalition of 26 faith, social justice, environmental, education, and business organizations.
In Texas...
The Sierra Club coordinated a rally and press conference thanking President Obama and the EPA for the Clean Power Plan. Austin's Mayor, five members of City Council, a representative of Austin Energy, a Texas State Representative as well as a reverend and nurse spoke.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler was pleased that the CPP finally rolled out. “While the time for action on climate and carbon pollution was long ago, I applaud President Obama and the EPA for making history by bringing forward the Clean Power Plan to put common sense limits on carbon pollution from power plants,” he said.
Similarly, Texas State Representative Donna Howard (D-Austin) was happy to see progress in her state. “Some of my colleagues who are looking at this with some obstructionist kind of viewpoints, need to understand that this is a very positive thing for our state and for our economy,” she said. “We need to continue to be leaders in our country and in the world in the energy industry, and we can be!”
Also in attendance were Council members Delia Garza of District 2, Pio Renteria of District 3, Ann Kitchen of District 5 and Leslie Pool of District 7 all spoke in support of the plan during the August 5 press conference.
In North Carolina...
Sierra Club members and Asheville and Buncombe County leaders met at Pack Square to celebrate the passage of the Clean Power Plan President Obama and the EPA finalized on Monday.
Additionally, twenty-nine prominent businesses issued a letter to Governor Patrick McCrory offering strong support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan for existing power plants, and encouraging the state’s “timely finalization” of its implementation plan.
“Our support is firmly grounded in economic reality,” states the letter. “Clean energy solutions are cost effective and innovative ways to drive investment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Increasingly, businesses rely on renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions to cut costs and improve corporate performance.”
In Washington, D.C….
The Sierra Club teamed up with projection artists at the Illuminator to project a lighted #ActOnClimate message right on the doorstep of some of the plan's biggest opponents: the Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute, and the Republican National Committee.
Additionally, Environmental Justice experts from the Sierra Club, the NAACP, Little Village, and WeAct convened on a teleconference arranged by the Sierra Club, teeing up the President's focus on communities of color during a prebuttal call the morning of the Plan's roll-out and helping ensure the strong benefits of the CPP were not drowned out by polluter propaganda.