In March, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a stay on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan – a plan that will, for the first time, limit the amount of carbon dioxide our nation’s power plants put into the air. The court’s stay was an unfortunate development in the effort to fight climate change, clean up our air and improve public health.
Thankfully, on April 1, a broad and diverse coalition of businesses, experts and organizations submitted amici curiae – or “friends of the court” – briefs to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.
I write to thank Maine U.S. Sen. Angus King, Maine U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, former Maine U.S. Sen. George Mitchell and the city of Portland for signing the “friends of the court” briefs in defense of the Clean Power Plan.
From major technology companies like Google, Apple and Amazon, to hundreds of current and former members of Congress, integral voices across many industries and institutions have declared their support for public policy promoting clean energy and protecting public health by setting the first-ever federal limits on carbon pollution from power plants.
These briefs, representing the will of millions of Americans, reflect the economic benefits of clean energy and underscore the strong legal foundation for the Clean Power Plan.
The plan is bolstered by data detailing how the plan will work to prevent premature deaths, save consumers on their electricity bills and, at the same time, improve our air quality overall. Attempts to block the Clean Power Plan would deny Americans these fundamental benefits.
Thank you, Sen. King and Rep. Pingree, for standing up for the Clean Power Plan.
Russell B. Pierce Jr., Esq.
Portland
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