Montpelier, Vt. – Today, Governor Phil Scott issued the following statement:
“Today, the EPA is poised to replace the national program put in place to significantly reduce greenhouse gas and harmful air pollutant emissions with a program that keeps allowable levels about the same. The U.S. must continue to provide responsible environmental leadership, and the proposed replacement for the Clean Power Plan does not appear to live up to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mission or provide the national leadership we need in this area.
“As communities across the country deal with the impacts of climate change and air pollution, this is simply the wrong approach. A better path forward would be to come together on a bipartisan basis to reduce emissions and advance clean and affordable energy.
“Vermont has worked with a regional coalition from Maine to Maryland to reduce emissions from electricity generation. The report I just received from my Climate Action Commission makes it abundantly clear we have more work to do in transportation and building energy use. In my view allowing increased emissions in electricity production is counterproductive and simply not an option for our state, or our nation. My Administration will oppose the proposed federal changes, and I will speak with our Attorney General T.J. Donovan to discuss options for challenging this proposal.”
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