Res. No. 984

Resolution in support of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.

By Council Members Richards, Rodriguez, Chin and Ulrich

Whereas, Climate change is occurring at a rapid rate; and

Whereas, The current trend of warming in Earth’s climate system over the last several decades is unprecedented and clear - the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the sea level has risen, and snow and ice levels have decreased; and

Whereas, The concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere has been and is increasing, and this is a main cause of rapid climate change; and

Whereas, Greenhouse gases are gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that have the physical property of absorbing solar radiation, trapping it in the atmosphere, keeping the Earth  warmer than it would otherwise be; and

Whereas, The principal human activity affecting climate change is the emission of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas; and

Whereas, According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the rate and magnitude of future climate change will depend in large part on the rate at which levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere continue to increase; and

Whereas, Climate change threatens to impact New York City’s public health, critical infrastructure, communities, vulnerable populations, natural systems, buildings and economy; and

Whereas, Impacts that are anticipated by experts, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Academy of Sciences, the EPA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, include severe weather such as droughts and hurricanes, human health impacts, environmental justice impacts, economic impacts, damage to infrastructure, sea level rise, changes to coastlines and coastal wetlands, disruption of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity; and

Whereas, The New York City Panel on Climate Change projects that by 2050, in New York City, extreme weather events are likely to worsen; heat waves are likely to increase in frequency, intensity, and duration; heavy downpours are likely to increase in frequency, intensity and duration; and coastal flooding is likely to increase in frequency, extent, and height; and

Whereas, In August 2015, the EPA issued the Clean Power Plan (CPP) final rule which establishes regulations designed to reduce carbon dioxide emission rates from existing fossil fuel-fired power plants nationwide; and

Whereas, Fossil fuel-fired electricity generating power plants are the economic sector responsible for the largest amount of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, and the CPP sets the first-ever limits on carbon emissions from power plants; and

Whereas, The CPP establishes uniform national emissions performance standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants; sets state-specific emissions targets for each state to achieve by 2030; requires states to develop and implement plans to achieve state-specific emissions targets by either imposing federally enforceable emissions standards at affected power plants or by using some combination of imposing federally enforceable standards and renewable energy and/or energy efficiency requirements on affected power plants; and creates a Clean Energy Incentive Program to reward states that make early investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency measures; and

Whereas, The EPA estimates that by 2030, the CPP will result in a 32% reduction in carbon dioxide levels from the nation’s electric power sector compared to 2005 levels; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York supports the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.

BTM

LS 5945

10/29/2015 2:50 pm