Establishing Clean Air Act Standard for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Power Plants
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 3, 2015) — US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment issued this statement today in response to President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Lisa Woll, CEO of US SIF said:
“We applaud President Obama and the US Environmental Protection Agency for today’s historical action to set the nation on course to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.
“The electrical power sector is the source of one-third of all US greenhouse gas emissions and a key part of any plan to curb emissions and address climate change. Today’s final rule establishes common sense standards limiting dangerous carbon emissions, provides states with the flexibility they need to meet the reductions called for in the rule and creates an encouraging environment for investment and job creation.
“Today’s announcement is a crucial step in meeting America’s international commitment to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. It reaffirms US leadership in reducing these dangerous pollutants and is a meaningful measure to protect current and succeeding generations from the catastrophic implications of further, unrestrained climate change. Already, the United States is paying a high economic price from the ravages of severe drought, wildfires and storms associated with increased atmospheric levels of carbon.
“The EPA’s Clean Power Plan will help unleash investment in clean energy sources, drive innovation, protect public health, benefit US consumers and bolster international efforts to curb climate change.
“It sends a powerful signal to investors, who increasingly are reviewing their portfolios for climate risk and opportunities. The US SIF Foundation’s 2014 survey of sustainable investment assets in the US found that money managers with $2.9 trillion in assets under management now consider environmental criteria in portfolio selection—a more than tenfold increase since 2012—and that climate change is the top specific environmental criterion they consider. Overall, sustainable, responsible and impact investing (SRI) assets rose 76 percent from 2012 to 2014, to $6.57 trillion.”
