An edited version of this letter appeared in the Denver Post on October 16th, 2017

EPA chief Scott Pruitt decided to announce his intention to terminate the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) on a day when ten people were killed by raging wildfires in California and hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans still lack power and water due to Hurricane Maria.  It’s hard to imagine how a news conference could be more detached from the reality of climate change.

 

And yet the CPP, which requires 32% CO2 emissions reductions from U.S. power plants by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, is far too cautious.  Xcel Energy recently announced that it is considering increasing renewables to provide 55% of its power mix by 2026.  The Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate is calling on Xcel to increase that figure to at least 80% by 2030, and to study achieving 100% renewable electricity by that year.  To learn more and sign our petition, visit us at https://colivableclimate.org.

Kevin Cross, Spokesperson for the CCLC