Oral Testimony at EPA Public Hearing on Proposed Federal Clean Power Plan, November 18, 2015

Oral Testimony at EPA Public Hearing on Proposed Federal Clean Power Plan, November 18, 2015

Cecilia Calvo, who directs the Environmental Justice Program at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, testified on behalf of Archbishop Thomas Wenski and Bishop Oscar Cantú in support of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan federal proposal. She frames the issue as a moral and pastoral concern, citing Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ and urging care for creation and protection of vulnerable people.

The bishops call on government and industry to implement the standards responsibly, justly, and quickly, judging policy by whether it safeguards creation, advances the common good, and protects humanity.

Key points

• Support for national carbon standards: The bishops back a federal standard to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants as a necessary step to protect health and the environment.
• Focus on the vulnerable: Climate impacts disproportionately harm children, the elderly, the poor, and marginalized communities; policy should prioritize their protection.
• States’ role and flexibility: The federal plan can model approaches for states, which are best positioned to design cost‑effective, locally tailored plans and complementary protections.
• Global leadership: U.S. action on emissions is important for international climate negotiations and moral leadership.

Moral principles urged

• Respect for Human Life and Dignity: Climate policy must recognize human dignity as foundational.
• Social and Economic Justice: Costs and burdens must be distributed fairly; workers need protections and assistance.
• Participation: Affected communities, especially low‑income ones, must have a voice in shaping implementation.

oral-testimony-epa-carbon-standards-federal-plan-cecilia-calvo-november-18-2015.pdf