United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

EPA's CLEAN POWER PLAN, CLIMATE
CHANGE AND AFRICAN AMERICANS

Carbon pollution threatens the health of Americans and our environment. We are already
seeing an increase in temperatures, extreme weather events, drought, flooding, and sea level
rise in areas across the United States, and these impacts are expected to get worse as carbon
pollution in our atmosphere increases. On August 3, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), as part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, finalized a historic plan to cut
carbon pollution from power plants—the largest source of carbon pollution in the United
States. EPA's Clean Power Plan will maintain an affordable, reliable energy system, while cutting
pollution and protecting public health and the environment now and for future generations.

Many African Americans are already at risk from air pollution. Climate change is expected to
lead to increased air pollution, contributing to asthma attacks and other respiratory
issues. African Americans continue to have higher rates of asthma than the national rates.

About 1 in 9 (11%) non-Hispanic blacks of all ages and about 1 in 6 (17%) of non-Hispanic black
children had asthma in 2009, the highest rate among racial/ethnic groups. The greatest rise in
asthma rates (almost a 50% increase) was among black children from 2001 through 2009. [CDC.
VitalSigns. accessed June 20141. Increased levels of ozone caused by climate change will exacerbate
asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments that disproportionately harm African Americans,
leading to increased hospitalizations. In 2013, approximately 75 million people lived in counties
with air pollution levels higher than the health-based standards set by EPA. [EPA, National Air
Trends Data, 2013; US Census Bureau, 2010 Census]

Vulnerable communities. Existing health disparities and other inequities increase vulnerability
to climate health impacts. Heat waves, air quality, and extreme weather are all climate change
related issues that disproportionately affect minority and low income communities. For
example, Hurricane Katrina demonstrated how vulnerable certain communities were to
extreme weather events, because many low-income and minority New Orleans residents were
killed, injured, or had difficulty evacuating and recovering from the storm. [U.S. Global Change
Research Program, National Climate Assessment, 20141

THE CLEAN POWER PLAN: SIGNIFICANT CLIMATE AND PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS

The Clean Power Plan achieves significant reductions in carbon pollution from power plants
while advancing clean energy innovation, development and deployment. It follows on and will
help advance current trends in the power sector toward increased use of low- and no-carbon
electricity generation and greater use of energy efficiency, in ways that will preserve

IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AFRICAN AMERICANS


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affordability for consumers and continues U.S. leadership in addressing climate change. States
and businesses have already charted a course toward cleaner, more efficient power, and the
Clean Power Plan builds on their progress.

The transition to clean energy is happening faster than anticipated. This means carbon and air
pollution are already decreasing, improving public health each and every year. The Clean Power
Plan accelerates this momentum, putting us on pace to cut this dangerous pollution to
historically low levels in the future. When the Clean Power Plan is fully in place in 2030, carbon
pollution from the power sector will be 32 percent below 2005 levels, securing progress and
making sure it continues.

The transition to cleaner sources of energy will better protect Americans from other harmful air
pollution, too. By 2030, emissions of S02 from power plants will be 90 percent lower compared
to 2005 levels, and emissions of NOx will be 72 percent lower. Because these pollutants can
create dangerous soot and smog, the historically low levels mean we will avoid thousands of
premature deaths and have thousands fewer asthma attacks and hospitalizations in 2030 and
every year beyond.

Within this larger context, the CPP itself is projected to contribute significant pollution
reductions, resulting in important benefits.

The Clean Power Plan will:

•	Cut hundreds of millions of tons of carbon pollution and hundreds of thousands of tons
of harmful soot- and smog-forming particle pollution that makes people sick. Together
these reductions will result in significant near-term public health benefits, especially for
the most vulnerable citizens.

o From the soot and smog reductions alone, for every dollar invested through the
Clean Power Plan—American families will see up to $4 in health benefits in 2030.
o The Clean Power Plan will significantly improve health by avoiding each year:

¦	3,600 premature deaths

¦	1,700 heart attacks

¦	90,000 asthma attacks

¦	300,000 missed work days and school days

•	Put our nation on track to cut carbon pollution from the power sector by 32 percent by
2030 while maintaining electric system reliability and affordable electricity.

o In addition to helping make our electric system cleaner, the Clean Power Plan
will make electricity more affordable in the long run. EPA's analysis of impacts on
electricity bills shows that Americans are expected to save over $80 annually on
their utility bills by 2030.


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United States
Environmental Protection
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•	Reduce CO2 emissions from power plants—an essential step towards reducing the
impacts of climate change and providing a more certain future for our environment, our
health and future generations.

o By acting on climate now, we are fulfilling a moral obligation to our children and
grandchildren to leave them with a healthier, more stable planet.

•	Change the international dynamic and leverage international action. Climate change is a
global challenge and requires global action. When the U.S. leads, other nations follow.

The Clean Power Plan gives states the opportunity to ensure that communities share in the
benefits of a clean energy economy, including energy efficiency and renewable energy.

EPA is creating a Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) to reward early investments in wind
and solar generation, as well as demand-side energy efficiency programs implemented in low-
income communities, that deliver results during 2020 and/or 2021. Through this program, EPA
intends to make allowances or emission rate credits (ERCs) available to states that incentivize
these investments. EPA is providing additional incentives to encourage energy efficiency
investments in low-income communities.

EPA also will provide communities and states information on how to access existing financial
and technical assistance programs that can help communities increase use of energy efficiency
and renewable energy programs. These include federal programs and resources, such as: the
National Community Solar Partnership, which the White House announced last month, to
increase access to solar for all Americans, particularly low- and moderate- income communities;
and the Clean Energy Impact Investment Center, which the Department of Energy will launch to
make information about energy and climate programs at DOE and other government agencies
accessible and more understandable to the public.

The Clean Power Plan includes information on communities living near power plants, and EPA
will provide additional information to facilitate engagement between communities and states
as implementation of the rule moves forward. For example, the agency will conduct air quality
evaluations to determine impacts that state plans may have on vulnerable communities. EPA
encourages states to conduct analyses to help states, communities and utilities understand the
potential localized and community impacts of state plans.

HELPING COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM CLEAN ENERGY

ASSESSING LOCAL IMPACTS


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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

To help with these analyses, EPA will ensure emissions data is available and easily accessed
through the Clean Power Plan Communities web page. The agency also will provide
demographic information and other data, along with examples analyses that states have
conducted to assess the impact of other rules, via the web page.

Public engagement was essential throughout the development of the Clean Power Plan, and
EPA will continue to engage with communities and the public during the rule's implementation.
The EPA will also be conducting a robust outreach effort for communities throughout the
comment period for the proposed federal plan.

To ensure opportunities for communities to continue to participate in decision-making, EPA will
provide training and resources throughout the implementation process. EPA is also requiring
that states demonstrate how they are actively engaging with communities in the formulation of
state plans developed for the Clean Power Plan. To learn more, please visit the Clean Power
Plan Portal for Communities at www2.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/clean-power-plan-toolbox-
communities .

GET INVOLVED

LEARN MORE

For more information on the Clean Power Plan, visit www2.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan.

For tips on how you can reduce your carbon footprint, visit
www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/.


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