This week, the Obama administration released its “Clean Power Plan” that marks the first ever limit on carbon pollution from existing power plants. By 2030, existing power plants will have to reduce their carbon emissions by 30 percent, with 25 percent of that drop coming by 2020. The news was widely praised by climate scientists, doctors, and public health advocates.
Quite predictably some conservatives immediately slammed the plan, claiming that it is big government overreach. It is easy to write this off as another inside-the-beltway battle between Republicans and Democrats; especially over something as seemingly technical as limiting carbon pollution. But the proposed pollution limits are something we should all care about as Americans, and the African American community in particular should praise these rules as our community tends to get the raw end of the climate change stick.
The above excerpt was originally published in ESSENCE.
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