MT “Peoples Hearing” on Coal and Carbon Pollution
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
MISSOULA, Mont. - Bark beetles, stream flows, asthma and the ski industry. They're all topics folks will be talking about today at a "People's Hearing" on the Environmental Protection Agency's carbon pollution standards for new coal plants.
The impacts of a changing climate are harsh on the state's economy and public health, said University of Montana forest ecology professor Steve Running, and there's only so much the average citizen can do. He'll share points at the hearing.
"All the things we try to do, with new light bulbs and hybrid cars and all that, turn out to just not add up as long as we keep burning coal," Running said.
Everyone will be considered an "expert" at the hearing at the UC Theater on campus, and will be allowed to speak.
The idea, Running said, is to show support for the EPA rules to limit pollution from new coal plants. The agency is expected to release standards for controlling pollution at existing plants next year, and Running said that could make the biggest difference.
"Colstrip here in Montana emits more CO2 than the entire rest of the state put together," he said. "Now's when we've got to start winding that down."
Sponsors for the hearing, which is to begin at 7 p.m., include University of Montana Climate Action Now, the Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation, Montana Elders for a Livable Tomorrow and Montana Conservation Voters.
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