Cleaner Tomorrow Than Today

On August 3rd, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the Clean Power Plan, to reduce the pollution responsible for climate change. For all its complexity, its goal is simple—power plants should generate 32% less carbon pollution by the year 2030 than they do today. In 1962, President Kennedy challenged our nation to go the moon by 1969. If America can get to the moon in 7 years, emitting one-third less air pollution in 15 years is surely within our grasp.

From the overwhelming majority of scientists, to the U.S. military, to coastal planners in Hampton Roads, to His Holiness Pope Francis, the consensus is clear—climate change is real, it is driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, and we must do something about it. For Virginia, climate change is a today issue, not a tomorrow issue. Coastal communities see the impacts of sea level rise and recurrent flooding on their daily lives—from impassable roads in flooded areas, to skyrocketing flood insurance costs, to the readiness of military installations during extreme weather events.

It's true that climate change is not the only cause of sea level rise in Hampton Roads, and that no one is certain how high and how soon the seas will rise. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) projects anywhere from 1½ to 7 feet of sea level rise by the year 2100. But if we act now on clean energy and infrastructure resilience—and sea level rise is on the low end of that spectrum—we'll have cleaner air and tougher infrastructure, and our fossil energy resources will still be there. If the reverse happens—we don't act now, and sea level rise is on the high end—our generation will have much to answer for with our grandchildren.

Virginia's state goal is on par with the national goal—a one-third cut in power plant pollution by 2030. I'm confident we can meet this goal because we already met it between 2005 and 2012 without a Clean Power Plan. The EPA also made several changes to its draft proposal that I had suggested in a letter to the Agency last year. These included making Virginia's target slightly easier than in the proposal, to reward states that reduced emissions before federal law required them to, as well as a way to adjust the plan if there are unforeseen impacts on grid reliability. As Governor of Virginia, I signed into law voluntary state targets of 15% renewable electricity by 2025 and a 10% improvement in energy efficiency by 2022. If the Commonwealth can hit these targets while maintaining market trends toward natural gas, we can hit our goal.

It's also true that the pollution cuts in the Clean Power Plan are small on a global scale. Some have cited this as a reason not to bother addressing climate change at all. In my view, that's like saying I shouldn't work out if I can't drop every pound on Day 1. The key is to move down the carbon ladder one step at a time, to meet sensible, achievable goals that build momentum and set the conditions for others to follow suit. The country that innovates fastest—cheaper renewables, higher efficiency, and yes, cleaner fossil fuels—will reap the economic rewards.

I've never accepted the idea that we must choose between growing the economy and protecting the environment. I've seen firsthand how strong environmental policies helped us clean up the James River in my hometown of Richmond, improving both our economy and quality of life.  Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay improved the Bay's health and bolstered its tourism and fisheries economy. And no Virginia communities should be left behind in a clean energy economy, including the Commonwealth's traditional coal communities, which is why I sponsored legislation in the Senate to ramp up federally-backed clean coal R&D. I also co-founded the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus to improve CTE and workforce training to prepare the next generation for in-demand jobs.

Ensuring our energy production is cleaner tomorrow than today is good for our economy and good for our planet. To paraphrase JFK on America's moon shot, climate change is a challenge "we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win."