Target: Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Goal: Support nationwide standards for carbon emissions reduction.
The hits keep on coming in the war against catastrophic climate change. The European Union, despite all claims to reach carbon neutrality in under three decades, recently signed off on making natural gas a “sustainable” endeavor. And the United States Supreme Court took a hatchet to the American government’s efforts to rein in out-of-control greenhouse gas emissions by severely limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to actually protect the environment.
The latter devastating blow specifically concerned power-plant emissions. Yet the court is widely expected to support similar challenges from other fossil fuel interests, which will basically put America’s Paris Climate Accord pledges at a standstill. Letting these poisonous emissions go unchecked and unregulated will continue to have dire consequences for our air, land, water, overall climate, and our health.
Much like other controversial rulings issued by the court, this issue could be settled if it was clearly codified into law. This particular ruling was enabled by ambiguities in the language about the amount of power the EPA is granted by Congress. The legislative chambers are the lawmaking bodies, so they need to go back to the drawing board and grant this agency the authority to do its job and carry out its vital mission. Moreover, if they are truly serious about positioning the United States as a global climate leader, they could enshrine some of the standards set by the EPA into federal legal statutes.
Sign the petition below to urge a Congressional commitment to strong and proactive environmental policies.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Schumer,
In light of recent events, both the European Union and the United States are facing serious questions about their dedication to meeting goals set forth in the Paris Climate Accord. The Supreme Court ruling concerning power plant emissions was devastating, but it would never have been possible if Congress had properly done its job and created clear, unambiguous statutes regarding the authority of the EPA. More importantly, these critical issues would not be left to court battles if they were enshrined into federal law.
A patchwork of wildly varying state standards for emissions reduction would cripple this nation’s ability to tackle the most fundamental and urgent challenges of its time. The EPA realized the importance of a united effort, which is why it adopted the standards it did. Now that much of its power has been stripped away, Congress needs to step up, get off the sidelines, and meet the challenge. You are the lawmakers, and you set the standard.
Act like it and work towards national guidelines concerning greenhouse gas emissions. The fate of this country, and the entire world, may depend on it.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Markus Spiske
1134 Signatures