WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of both the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Climate Action Task Force, released the following statement today in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final Clean Power Plan rule to curb our nation’s carbon emissions and fight global climate change:

“The Clean Power Plan announced today is an important step forward in the effort to turn the tide against climate change, better protect public health, and transition toward a future that is defined not by fossil fuels, but by clean, renewable energy sources,” Senator King said. “While the plan is extensive and I have yet to review all of the details, I am encouraged that it sets concrete clean air goals and empowers states to tailor their own paths to achieve emissions reductions benchmarks rather than simply handing down a set of Washington-devised blanket regulations that will only make it more difficult to meet the distinct needs of individual states. I also look forward to further evaluating the plan’s impact on sustainably-derived biomass to help ensure that Maine’s forest products industry is not buried in the sort of bureaucratic red tape that would hinder the production of this renewable and sustainable resource.

“But fundamentally, this plan is about our future. It’s about ensuring our children will have clean air to breathe, that our economy can thrive without relying solely on fossil fuels, and that our planet will remain a vibrant home for all who follow us. It’s up to us to lead.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues to strengthen and improve it. I hope that we can work together in a productive way to ensure a brighter, more sustainable future for the generations to come.”

Senator King expressed his support for the EPA’s Clean Power Plan after the agency proposed the rule in June 2014 in order to limit carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants pursuant to Congressionally-given authority under the Clean Air Act. 

###