Statement by Former Vice President Al Gore on the Proposed EPA Power Plant Standards

Carbon pollution is a public health emergency that must be addressed with urgency. When the health and safety of our communities, children, and grandchildren are at stake, we must act. The EPA’s authority to address the harmful emissions from burning coal and gas for power is clear and definitive.

For 99% of the coal plants in the U.S. – all but one – it is already cheaper to shut them down and replace them with new solar and wind. And by switching to clean energy, we can avoid the rapid and painful price fluctuations that are common for fossils fuels like so-called “natural” gas. The most cost-effective method of carbon capture is to just keep it in the ground.

We are at an inflection point where the true costs of our dependence on fossil fuels have become tragically apparent, particularly for the frontline and fenceline communities that suffer from the worst impacts of both the climate crisis and the co-pollution of burning coal, oil, and gas. The proposed rule released by the EPA today is a necessary step to ensure that the true costs of fossil fuels are taken into account.