In response to the Trump EPA’s proposed rule eliminating limits on climate pollution from coal and gas power plants, falsely claiming that these emissions don’t contribute to climate change or dangerous pollution, Evergreen Action Senior Power Sector Policy Lead Charles Harper released the following statement:

“Trump is trying to gaslight the public and drag us into his war on reality by pretending climate change doesn’t exist. The idea that the U.S. power sector doesn’t ‘significantly’ or ‘meaningfully’ contribute to climate pollution is laughable. Each year, its pollution is responsible for an estimated $370 billion in global damages, tens of billions in domestic public health costs, and more than 5,000 U.S. deaths. If our power sector were its own country, it would rank as the sixth-largest emitter in the world. This move sets the stage for broader attacks on clean air and clean water and is a dangerous escalation of Trump’s anti-science crusade, one that serves only his fossil fuel benefactors. 

“Let’s be clear: repealing these pollution limits will supercharge climate chaos and flood frontline communities with even more toxic air. Eliminating Biden-era power plant standards will erase $240 billion in climate benefits and $120 billion in public health savings. Doubling down on antiquated fossil plants will saddle working families with higher bills, dirtier air, and fewer protections from a worsening climate crisis. Trump is locking the country into a dirtier, deadlier, and more expensive energy future—just to make fossil fuel CEOs even wealthier.”

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