Evanston signs Environmental Protection Agency amicus brief supporting clean power

Nora Shelly, Assistant City Editor

Evanston signed an amicus brief Friday lending support to the Clean Power Plan, an effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to curb carbon pollution.

The brief, which more than 50 U.S. city and county governments signed, was written by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School in support of the law. The plan, which requires states to reduce their carbon emissions and encourages a move away from coal power, has come under question after dozens of states challenged it in federal court. In February, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay on the law that will remain until the suit is resolved.

The brief says the Clean Power Plan would allow local governments to work more effectively with state governments to limit emissions and that it would reduce the costs for cities trying to mitigate climate change.

The National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, both of which Evanston is involved in, supported the brief.

The groups argue that considering more than 80 percent of the country’s population lives in urban areas, local governments are responsible for protecting a majority of Americans.
“City and county governments are the first line of defense in weather disasters and climate impacts, which grow increasingly frequent and severe as greenhouse gas emissions cause the climate to change,” the Sabin Center said in a news release. “Many cities are already experiencing — and paying for — damage caused by climate change.”

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @noracshelly