Quigley Statement on Beginning of Clean Power Plan (CPP) Oral Arguments

CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, released the following statement in response to of today’s D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals oral arguments on the Clean Power Plan:

“President Obama’s Clean Power Plan is an important step forward to address the biggest environmental and public health challenge of our time to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy.” said Rep. Quigley. “Targeting emissions from the power sector is the best and most cost effective way for America to meet its international and moral obligations to fight climate change. I applaud the states like Illinois that have already worked to realize the benefits of Clean Power Plan compliance. As the Plan enters a new phase of litigation today, I look forward to a swift resolution in the courts that will encourage the rest of the country to meet the challenge of reducing emissions and fighting the potentially catastrophic impacts of global warming.”

The Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan aims to reduce climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions by targeting existing coal-fired and natural gas power plants. It requires states to meet specific carbon emission reduction standards based on their individual energy consumption, and includes an incentive program for states to get a head start on meeting standards on early deployment of renewable energy. The power sector currently accounts for 40% of total US emissions.

As a member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Rep. Quigley has been a stalwart protector of the environment since he arrived in Washington in 2009. Most recently, he spoke to colleagues addressing climate change as a national security issue. After the crisis in Flint, Michigan, he partnered with Illinois officials to push for better EPA lead and copper standards. He also visited Chicago’s Loyola University to discuss how to implement more bird-safe measures for campus buildings, toured urban flooding prevention project sites, and urged the importance of clean drinking water in an editorial in the Chicago Daily Herald. Last year, he went on a tour through the Pullman and Calumet region to highlight the positive impact environmental restoration can have on community development. He has urged his colleagues in the House to put partisanship aside and craft America’s first national energy plan to address climate change. During his Chicago Climate Tour of 2013, he visited regional environmental sites to hear from experts on the local impact of climate change and efforts to address the issue.