As we posted in The climate change denial that dares not speak its name: Fabian's double down about warming, Minnesota Republican state representatives are demanding that Attorney General Lori Swanson join an effort to oppose the Clean Power Plan.
The carbon-reduction proposal is intended to counter climate change.
Swanson has taken a different direction. Via the Morning Times, the Associated Press reports in NY attorney general, others seek to defend EPA:
New York's attorney general has joined a coalition of 24 states, cities and counties seeking to intervene in court to help defend a federal plan to require power plants cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
The group is filing a motion to intervene at the U.S. Court of Appeals defending the Environmental Protection Agency's plan that has been challenged by several states and power industry groups.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says the plan is needed to respond to the threat of climate change and incorporates strategies New York and several other states have used to cut pollution.
The coalition includes attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington
Here's the filing, obtained from New York state attorney general's website:
2015 11 04 Motion to Intervene FILED
In other news, the Minneapolis Spokesman-Recorder reports in Black churches show support for Obama’s Clean Power Plan:
Leaders of the nation’s major Black churches — representing nearly 13 million African-American members — presented over 10,000 pastors’ signatures to Congressional Black Caucus members in support of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan.
The leaders said they are making the effort to push forward the bill, which has a goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030. . . .
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents Oakland, Berkeley and other northern California cities applauded their effort.
” As faith and community leaders, their commitment to protecting and preserving our fragile planet is greatly needed as we work to address climate change,” Lee said in a statement.
Lee said the president’s plan and other environmental action must have a positive effect on disadvantaged communities.
“This is truly an issue about justice – environmental justice, economic justice and racial justice. The negative effects of pollution and climate change have disproportionately affected communities of color,” she said.
“As we work to reverse climate change, we must all raise our voices together and ensure that the economic opportunities created by the green economy are open to all.”
According to caucus members, almost 40 percent of the six million Americans living close to coal-fired power plants are people of color, and they are disproportionately African-American. Pollutants released from those plants have led to high rates of asthma and respiratory issues within nearby communities. . . .
We'll continue to monitor this issue.
Photo: Sherco power plant. As part of its response to the Clean Power Plan, Xcel will shut down two of three coal burning plants, converting one to burn natural gas.
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