Coulter Joins Other "Climate Mayors" In Support Of Clean Power

Ferndale Mayor David Coulter has joined over 200 mayors to denounce President Donald Trump’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan, an Obama administration policy aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to repeal the policy in October 2017. The Clean Power Plan originally gave the EPA authority to require each state meet plant emissions goals tailored specifically to that state. It also provided incentives for switching power plants from coal to natural gas, as well as constructing wind farms.

Coulter joins with 233 U.S. mayors, the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, or “Climate Mayors,” who just sent a comment letter to EPA head Scott Pruitt opposing the policy change. The mayors’ letter says the yearly cost of storms on the coasts could go as high as $35 billion by 2030. They say much costal real estate, which taken together is valued at close to $100 billion today, will be under water entirely by 2050.

“No one is insulated from the impacts of climate change—people in cities of all sizes, along with suburban and rural communities are all at risk,” the letter states.

“Residents of our communities have experienced harmful impacts of climate change such as dirtier air, increased heat-related illnesses and deaths, damaged and disappearing coastlines, longer droughts and other strains on water quantity and quality, and increasingly frequent and severe storms and wildfires,” the mayors add.

Other signatories to the letter include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and mayors from Austin, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. In Michigan, Coulter was joined by the mayors of Grand Rapids, Lapeer, East Lansing, and by Pleasant Ridge Mayor Kurt Metzger. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is absent from the list.

“Urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country are reducing their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions by investing in energy efficiency, committing to the use of clean energy resources, and reducing reliance on fossil-fueled energy sources—efforts that protect against climate change, and also support clean air and a vibrant clean energy economy,” the mayors conclude.

The mayors also explain that they need the EPA’s assistance and were counting on the policy because local environmental measures are “highly sensitive” to national policy changes, because these moves impact markets, direct states’ policies and create “large direct impacts” on emissions across the country.

Photo via David Coulter.