Governor Markell Testifies in Support of EPA Plan to Cut Power Plant Emissions

Says Delaware’s success shows proposal can work nationally

Washington, DC – Speaking at one of four sites of nationwide public hearings on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power plan, Governor Markell emphasized the environmental and economic benefits of the proposal to reduce dirty emissions from the nation’s power plants by 30 percent by 2030. (Text of his prepared remarks is below.)

Governor Markell testified at one of the Environmental Protection Agency's sites in support of its Clean Power Plan.
Governor Markell testified at one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s sites in support of its Clean Power plan.

Markell noted that Delaware cut these emissions faster than any other state by shutting down or fuel-switching the state’s dirtiest power plants while also placing a greater focus on renewable energy sources, promoting energy efficiency, and working in partnership with other states in the region. All of these efforts would be encouraged by EPA’s approach, which provides guidelines, but gives states flexibility to design a program that makes the most sense for their unique situations.

The Governor also alluded to the impact of powerful weather events like Superstorm Sandy that will occur more frequently if climate change continues unabated.

“Governors do not have the luxury of pretending climate change is not causing real damage,” said Markell. “We are on the front lines of hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and other natural disasters. We see the property that is devastated and the cost of addressing the damage after the fact. We live with the consequences of inaction. Our families and businesses can’t afford to wait and see what happens next before we act. I’m thrilled the EPA has issued this new rule and I look forward to its implementation.”

Following his testimony today, Markell joined U.S. Senator Ed Markey (MA) and other supporters outside the hearing room at the William Jefferson Clinton Building to highlight the importance of this initiative to address climate change, clean up the air, create jobs, and reduce asthma attacks in children and other health problems.

Reverend Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus, Cristobal Alex of the Latino Victory Fund, the Green Latinos’ Mark Magaña, and Dr. Cindy Parker, a physician and professor at Johns Hopkins, also participated to outline the health implications of carbon pollution and other impacts of climate change.  The event was organized by a broad coalition of groups including Moms Clean Air Force, Interfaith Power & Light, National Wildlife Federation, the Climate Action Coalition, and Sierra Club.

The Clean Power Plan would be implemented through a state-federal partnership under which states use current or new electricity production and pollution control policies to meet state-specific goals to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, which accounts for roughly one-third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. States can choose the right mix of: power generation using diverse fuels, including renewables; energy efficiency initiatives; and multi-state plans. The initiative’s emissions reductions would reduce the impact of climate change on communities, improve public health, and create jobs in manufacturing, construction, and research.

Governor Markell Testimony at Public Hearing on EPA’s Clean Power Plan

Remarks as prepared for delivery

I’m Jack Markell, Governor of Delaware, and I’m testifying in support of the Clean Power Plan not because of what we think might be possible with this policy change, but because we know what this plan can do for the nation. The EPA’s proposal to address climate change would mean cleaner air; better health; more research, manufacturing and construction jobs; and more efficient, less costly energy.

We know that because we see all of this happening in Delaware, where, over the past five years, we’ve shifted from one of the dirtiest energy mixes in the nation to one of the cleanest. We have decreased emissions by a greater percentage than any other state, while creating jobs at the same time. And we have done so with the same approach the president proposes for the country. We shut down or fuel-switched nine out of our ten dirtiest power plants, while the remaining unit installed hundreds of millions of dollars in pollution controls. We’ve increased deployment of solar technology 30 times since 2008. And we’ve strengthened building codes and spurred more than $100 million in efficiency upgrades. We’ve also worked with states throughout the region to dramatically cut carbon pollution. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has used a market-based system to help reduce carbon pollution from power plants in our states by more than 40 percent since 2005.

EPA’s plan will stimulate more of all of this activity across the nation. It lets states use solutions that work best for us individually to reduce dirty emissions, recognizing that power plants produce more of those emissions than any other source in the country. As one example of what our strategy has meant for Delaware, I recently visited a site in Dover where hundreds of people are working to build a natural gas power-generating facility for Calpine Energy. Calpine has made it a priority to transition away from the power plants that produce the most emissions. Yes, they do it because they care about the environment. But they also do it because it’s good for their bottom line. In addition, facilities like the one in Dover will produce cost-effective energy that reduces energy bills while making our state more attractive to manufacturers.

In fact, across the country, it’s projected that the Clean Power Plan would shrink electricity bills by about eight percent by increasing efficiency and reducing demand. The economic benefits of this plan go far beyond the impact on individual energy companies or consumers’ bills. A report last month on the economic risks of climate change illustrates the widespread effects – including damage to the agriculture and energy sectors, as well as to coastal communities, public health and our labor productivity. And all of this damage costs us a lot of money.

In Delaware, we have seen how rising sea levels, more powerful and frequent storms, and other extreme weather conditions put families and businesses at risk. Our largest industry – agriculture – faces severe conditions that harm crops. And, as the lowest-lying state in the nation, climate change could literally put much of Delaware under water.

All states face their own challenges. Governors do not have the luxury of pretending climate change is not causing real damage. We are on the front lines of hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and other natural disasters. We see the property that is devastated and the cost of addressing the damage after the fact. We live with the consequences of inaction. Our families and businesses can’t afford to wait and see what happens next before we act. I’m thrilled that the EPA has issued this new rule and I look forward to its implementation. Thank you.

PHOTOS from the event


EPA Highlights Delaware as Model for Reducing Power Plant Pollution

 Governor Markell, EPA Administrator McCarthy make push for Clean Power Plan that would combat effects of climate change

Dover, DE – Visiting a natural gas facility construction site adjacent to a utility-scale solar plant that represents part of Delaware’s effective effort to reduce power industry pollution, Governor Markell, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, and Delaware Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Collin O’Mara emphasized the environmental, health, and economic benefits of the EPA’s just-fIMG_4986released plan to dramatically cut the nation’s carbon emissions and combat the effects of climate change.

 Markell, McCarthy, and O’Mara joined members of the General Assembly, city and county leaders, and state environmental officials for a tour of the City of Dover’s Garrison Oak Technical Park which hosts Calpine Corporation’s Garrison Energy Center, a 309-megawatt natural gas facility and the 10-megawatt Dover SUN Park that will help the state transition to lower-emission forms of electricity. The projects symbolize one way that the EPA’s Clean Power Plan would help drive states and power companies to work together to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by more than 30 percent nationwide by 2030.

“Our Clean Power Plan is all about flexibility and allowing states, and regions, to determine how to achieve maximum energy efficiency, and that’s exactly what we are seeing here in Delaware with industry and government coming to the table together,” said McCarthy. “We don’t have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment; our action will sharpen America’s competitive edge, spur innovation, and create jobs

Over the past five years, Delaware has shifted from one of the dirtiest energy mixes in the nation to one of the cleanest. The state decreased emissions by a greater percentage than any other state in the nation. Local generators have fuel switched or shut down nine out of 10 coal plants in favor of cleaner generation facilities, while the remaining unit installed $300 million in pollution controls. Meanwhile, the state has spurred investment in low-emission natural gas generation, increased deployment of solar technology 30 times since 2008, and invested more than $100 million in efficiency upgrades to reduce energy consumption.

“Addressing the root causes of climate change, not to mention improving the quality of the air we breathe, means cutting down on carbon pollution,” said Markell. “The EPA’s proposal will help achieve this goal while leading to a future of cleaner air, better health, more research, manufacturing and construction jobs, and more efficient, less costly energy. We know that because we see all of this happening now in Delaware as we’ve worked to clean up our power plants, while prioritizing low-emission and renewable energy technology and efficiency. Importantly, the proposal maximizes flexibility for states and power companies to make the changes that work best for them.”

fIMG_5052The Garrison Energy Center, which will occupy 37 acres within the Garrison Oak Technical Park, will help the state provide cleaner energy and its construction follows the company’s commitment to stop using coal at its Delaware facilities. When generating its maximum electrical output, the energy center will provide enough power for about 250,000 homes, based on average usage. The project is creating about 250 construction jobs for the Delaware building trades and the first phase is slated to begin commercial operations by mid-2015.

“By this time next year the 309-MW Garrison Energy Center will be one of the cleanest, most energy efficient and most reliable electric generating facilities in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Calpine CEO Thad Hill. “The fact that we are able and willing to develop this asset on a purely competitive basis, without the need for long-term contracts or government subsidies, demonstrates that our industry can and will respond to important environmental policy initiatives with market-based solutions.”

The facility is under construction next to the 34,000 solar photovoltaic panels that comprise the Dover SUN Park developed by LS Power and SunPower Corporation. The Dover SUN Park is one of the largest utility scale solar projects in the Mid-Atlantic region and produces electricity to supply 1,500 homes. The State and Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility supported the project’s financing using a portion of auction proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Setting an example for multi-state partnerships to combat climate change, Delaware has also worked with eight other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states as part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a market-based system that has helped reduce carbon pollution from power plants in those states by more than 40 percent since 2005. By capping pollution, auctioning pollution allowances, and investing the proceeds in energy efficiency and clean energy, the RGGI states have simultaneously reduced energy bills, supported construction jobs, and cleaned up the air.

“By building the Clean Power Plan upon the best practices of leading states like Delaware and providing states with the flexibility to implement the best local solutions, Administrator McCarthy has ensured that EPA’s common sense Plan will achieve meaningful and cost-effective pollution reductions nationwide in ways that strengthen the economy,” said DNREC Secretary and past RGGI Chair Collin O’Mara. “Delaware is proving that it is possible to secure cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable sources of energy that reduce air emissions, protect the environment, support construction jobs, and improve the health of all Americans.”

Since 2008, Delaware has reduced carbon pollution from power plants by more than 40 percent through the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, adoption of strict multi-pollutant air emission limits, and adopting of forward-looking energy legislation and policies, including Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards, updated energy building codes, the Green Energy Fund and auctions of Renewable Energy Credits through Delaware’s Sustainable Energy Utility, and the Energy Efficiency Investment Fund which incentivizes power plants and industrial facilities to switch to cleaner and more efficient sources of energy.

EPA’s Clean Power Plan

The Clean Power Plan would be implemented through a state-federal partnership under which states use current or new electricity production and pollution control policies to meet state-specific goals to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, which accounts for roughly one-third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The plan provides guidelines, but gives states flexibility to design a program that makes the most sense for their unique situations. States can choose the right mix of: power generation using diverse fuels, including renewables; energy efficiency initiatives; and multi-state plans.

These efforts to cut carbon pollution would:

  • Reduce carbon emission from the power sector by 30 percent nationwide from 2005 levels and cut particle pollution, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide by more than 25 percent;
  • Avoid up to 6,500 premature deaths, and 150,000 asthma attacks in children;
  • Shrink electricity bills roughly 8 percent by increasing energy efficiency and reducing demand in the electricity system; and
  • Create tens of thousands of jobs around the country.


Governor Markell Applauds EPA Effort to Cut Power Plant Emissions

Delaware pollution reductions have proven this approach can be successful

 Wilmington, DE – Governor Jack Markell released a statement today supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of a proposed regulation to combat climate change by reducing power plant carbon pollution by 30 percent by 2030.

“The impact of climate change is clear, from rising sea levels to more powerful and frequent extreme weather events that put Delaware families and businesses at risk. We have an obligation to address the root cause of these changes and that means limiting carbon pollution from our power plants.

“I applaud the President for taking bold action with an approach that achieves significant emissions reductions while maximizing flexibility for states and power companies to make the changes that work best for them. I know this approach can work because we’ve seen its environmental and economic benefits in Delaware. By shutting down or fuel-switching our dirtiest power plants, we achieved faster emissions reductions than any other state while reducing energy bills through efficiency, and creating opportunities for research, manufacturing, and construction jobs. Importantly, the EPA encourages more partnerships like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in which Delaware and eight other states have joined to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by more than 40 percent since 2005.

“This effort can provide the catalyst to make the dramatic changes necessary to protect our communities and transition to a clean energy economy. We cannot afford to wait.”


Governor Markell Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Air Pollution

Wilmington, DE – Governor Markell applauded today’s Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate cross-state air pollution from coal-fired power plants. The Governor has helped lead an effort by Eastern states to petition the EPA to require that Midwestern states reduce emissions that are blown across state lines.

 “Today’s Supreme Court decision represents another important step to combat the dirty air pollution that enters Delaware from other states, which unfairly harms the health of our people and our economy,” said Markell.

“Through efforts to clean up power plants and work with every industrial facility in Delaware, we have seen huge reductions in air pollution produced by our state, especially over the past five years. However, more than 90% of our dirty pollution comes from out-of-state sources, and the impact often results in air that does not meet healthy standards. Despite this, new facilities in our state are required to meet much more stringent regulatory requirements than facilities in the very states that are causing our air quality violations.

“We continue to be committed to doing everything we can to reduce harmful emissions in our state, but we also demand a level playing field and today’s ruling brings us closer to that goal.”


Delaware, seven other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states seek to curb pollution from upwind states

File petition with EPA requiring action from upwind states

DOVER  – With Delaware at the forefront, eight Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States today petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require upwind states to reduce air pollution generated within their borders, which causes asthma, respiratory disease, and other public health problems downwind.

The multi-state action is aimed at requiring nine upwind states – Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia – to reduce air pollution emissions that are carried by prevailing winds and contribute to the formation of ozone to the north and east. The petition seeks long-overdue commitments from the upwind states to protect the health of downwind residents and to level the playing field for businesses.

“Delaware’s air quality remains overwhelmed by air pollution from upwind states – even though we have reduced emissions within Delaware of ozone-forming pollution by more than 70 percent since 1990,” said Governor Jack Markell.  “While Delaware’s in-state sources are well-controlled with state-of-the-art technology, this is simply not true of our upwind neighbors. As a result, Delaware pays more for healthcare resulting from respiratory illnesses and our industries are forced to do more than those in the states causing the pollution, and that’s  simply unfair. We need a level playing field among states to ensure that all states can enjoy healthy air.”

The petition cites decades of inaction by the upwind states during which time the eight Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states have spent tens of billions of dollars to reduce their own air emissions. The petition asks EPA to require the nine upwind states to join them in what is known as the “Ozone Transport Region” (OTR).  Under the federal Clean Air Act, states added to the OTR would have to take actions consistent with the air pollution efforts of the downwind states through use of readily available control technologies and reliance on cleaner fuels to generate power.

States filing the petition – all current members of the OTR – are: Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

“Delaware has made great strides in cleaning up its own air pollution; but unfortunately, Delaware – along with other Northeast states – is located at the end of what I call ‘America’s tailpipe,’” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper. “Other states’ dirty emissions from cars and power plants drift east, causing pollution that Delaware cannot stop or regulate. At the end of the day, downwind states can only do so much without the cooperation and investment of upwind states. EPA has tried to implement new policies that would make all states be good clean air neighbors – but right now these policies are delayed in our court system. As we wait for a final decision, downwind states continue to suffer. Bringing in additional upwind states into the Ozone Transport Region is something the EPA Administrator can do now while we wait for a broader approach. It makes good sense and ensures cleaner air for downwind states like Delaware – which is why I hope the EPA Administrator will consider such a proposal.”

“Pollution doesn’t just hurt the public’s health, but the health of our state’s economy,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “Upwind states’ reluctance to invest in the necessary pollution controls imposes on Delaware’s ecosystem and forces Delawareans to absorb additional health care costs. These upwind states should act as good neighbors by integrating existing available pollution control technology, and utilize cleaner fuels to reduce the emissions crossing into Delaware.”

“Delaware has made significant progress in transitioning to a cleaner energy economy. With the state, residents, and private businesses working together, Delaware’s dirtiest coal-fired burners have either been shut down or improved with pollution controls that significantly reduce the amount of toxins they produce. The results have been dramatic – better air quality and a reduced risk of Delawareans developing chronic health problems,” said U.S. Congressman John Carney. “But we can’t control the pollutants that pass over Delaware from the states to our west. These states are upwind of us and rely on the power they obtain from one of the dirtiest energy sources: coal. It’s time for these states to step up and make the investments in cleaner energy that have been so productive here in Delaware. The health of current and future generations of Americans in this region depends on it. I’m hopeful they will make progress on a healthier, cleaner environment in the near future.”

“Clean air matters and we are petitioning EPA because Delaware and our sister downwind states are in the world-turned-upside-down position of paying to import air pollution,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara. “More than 90 percent of the air pollution that comes into Delaware is produced by outside sources. Meanwhile, those outside sources – most of them in the upwind states – aren’t paying our health care bills, or paying for improvements to our air quality, as Delaware’s industrial sector and power plants have done through adopting cleaner fuels, installing state of the art pollution controls, and building new low- and zero-emission generation. Instead we continue to pay – literally through the nose, as in respiratory illnesses and breathing problems such as asthma – for what other states send our way in the form of pollution and ozone transport. We’re asking the EPA that cleaner air for Delawareans – and for all Americans in upwind or downwind states – be an equitable fight and a fair-share responsibility.”

Ozone is created in the atmosphere by a reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), and all non-trivial Delaware sources that emit VOC and NOx are well-controlled. In fact, Delaware has reduced statewide VOC and NOx emissions each by about 70 percent since 1990 – ranking the state among the highest in the country at having achieved emissions reductions.

Meanwhile, reducing emissions has improved the state’s air quality considerably. Since 1990 Delaware has attained the pervasive 0.12 parts per million (ppm) 1-hour ozone standard and the 0.080 ppm 8-hour ozone standard. However, New Castle and Sussex counties fail to meet the current federal ozone standard of 0.075 ppm, and further in-state emission reductions will not change this. Science has shown that more than 95 percent of Delaware’s ozone problem is caused by emissions from outside of Delaware, and many of these emissions are completely uncontrolled. Delaware VOC and NOx emissions could be reduced to zero, and Delaware would still have unhealthy air so long as the state remains on the receiving end of upwind emissions. “The only thing that will fix our unhealthy air problem is to reduce emissions that are generated outside the borders of Delaware,” said Ali Mirzakhalili, director, DNREC Division of Air Quality.

Under Section 176A of the federal Clean Air Act, states can petition the EPA to add any state to an air quality region such as the OTR if there is reason to believe it is the source of pollution causing violations of air quality standards elsewhere. The EPA Administrator is required to approve or disapprove of such a petition within 18 months.

In submitting the petition to EPA, the eight downwind states told EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, “We believe expansion of the transport region and implementation of the required controls in upwind states are necessary for all of the OTR to achieve attainment in a timely manner. We also believe that the consultation process that is such an important part of the OTC’s activities can benefit all states in an expanded OTR in the assessment of the ozone transport problem and result in the development of effective solutions.”

Millions of residents in the downwind states petitioning EPA are exposed to unhealthy levels of ozone, which can irritate the respiratory system, causing coughing, throat irritation and chest pains and aggravating asthma and other chronic lung diseases. Ozone and other air pollutants have also been linked to premature death.

Despite aggressive actions taken by downwind states to reduce air pollution generated in-state, EPA modeling shows that interstate transport of air pollution contributes significantly to violations of health-based air quality standards for ground-level ozone within their borders. As much as 70 to 98 percent of this ozone air pollution problem is blown in from upwind states – and parts of some downwind states would remain in violation of federal standards even if they eliminated all of the pollution generated within their borders.

Industries and electric power plants in downwind states have invested heavily in pollution control technologies and additional emissions reductions would come from smaller sources at greater cost. The cost of removing an additional ton of pollution in downwind states is estimated at between $10,000 to $40,000 – compared to as little as $200-$500 a ton in upwind states, where even some basic control technologies have not been installed.