Johnson Bridgwater, johnson.bridgwater@sierraclub.org, 405-902-2288
OKLAHOMA CITY - Donald Trump signed an executive order today to begin the process of repealing several Obama-era executive actions tackling the climate crisis and protecting clean air and water. Trump’s order includes steps to begin the process of dismantling the Clean Power Plan and attacks on protections to clean air and clean water.
The Clean Power Plan protects the health of Oklahoma’s families and communities by curbing dangerous carbon pollution and reducing other toxic pollutants like mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that, by 2030, the Clean Power Plan would prevent 150,000 asthma attacks and up to 6,600 premature deaths annually, providing between $55 billion to $93 billion of benefits per year.
EPA also projects that in 2030 when the plan is fully implemented, electricity bills would be roughly 8 percent lower than they would been without the actions in state plans. That would save Americans about $8 on an average monthly residential electricity bill.
The Trump administration’s attempt to roll back progress on climate action will run up against the reality that clean energy is expected to continue growing dramatically in Oklahoma. For the first time in 2016, wind energy provided more power to Oklahomans, providing a quarter of the state’s energy.
In response to today’s news, Johnson Bridgwater, Director of the Sierra Club’s Oklahoma Chapter, released the following statement:
“Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt are, sadly, doing what they have always done: making their friends in oil and gas rich while ignoring the rest of us and the common good. The attempted roll back of the Clean Power Plan and other clean air and clean water protections will cost lives and impact our health. And no matter what Trump wants, coal is no longer profitable, nor is it good for us-- and we now have much better options. Coal is declining, and here in Oklahoma renewables like wind are booming, creating jobs and cleaning up our state.”