CREDO: This carbon rule won’t offset President Obama’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy

In response to the Obama administration’s release of the final carbon rule for existing power plants, CREDO Action Senior Campaign Manager Elijah Zarlin released the following statement:

“Reductions in carbon pollution are much needed, but it’s hard to get too excited about this rule the same week that the president allows Shell to tempt fate in the Arctic. We have also now learned that this already too-weak rule is going to take another two years to kick in. President Obama has cleared the very low bar of the most climate pollution reductions of any president in history – but in context of the progress that is needed, it’s hard to view this as especially ambitious.”

The need to stop burning dirty fossil fuels and transition to clean sources of energy couldn’t be greater. But in the context of President Obama’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, which has increased the domestic production of fossil fuels, it is simply too weak and too late in starting.

If this rule is President Obama’s signature achievement on climate change then his administration has missed a major opportunity to show real leadership on climate.”

Last year CREDO activists submitted more than 80,000 public comments that specifically urged the EPA to strengthen the emission reductions and not further delay implementation beyond 2020.