Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General William H Sorrell on Tuesday joined attorneys general from across the nation in a meeting in New York City to announce a national coalition with 17 other States and Territories to protect and expand progress the nation has made in combating climate change. The attorneys general were joined by former vice president and leading climate activist Al Gore for the announcement in New York City. All of the members of the new coalition are part of a coalition of 25 states, cities and counties that intervened to defend the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s “Clean Power Plan” against legal challenge. Also on Tuesday, the interveners filed a brief in the DC Circuit Court in support of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan rule, which requires fossil-fueled power plants, the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the nation, to cut their emissions pursuant to the Clean Air Act.
Front, from left, Vice President Gore, Vermont AG Bill Sorrell and NY AG Eric T Schneiderman. CLICK ON PICTURE TO SEE VIDEO.
“We are happy to have worked closely with New York to organize this meeting and announcement,” said Vermont Attorney General Sorrell. “As we all know, global warming, if not reversed, will be catastrophic for our planet. We, the states, have a role to play in this endeavor and intend to do our part.”
“We cannot continue to allow the fossil fuel industry or any industry to treat our atmosphere like an open sewer or mislead the public about the impact they have on the health of our people and the health of our planet,” said former Vice President Al Gore. “Attorneys General and law enforcement officials around the country have long held a vital role in ensuring that the progress we have made to solve the climate crisis is not only protected, but advanced. The first-of-its-kind coalition announced today is another key step on the path to a sustainable, clean-energy future.”
Many of the states in the coalition have worked together on previous multi-state environmental efforts, including pressing the EPA to limit climate change pollution from fossil-fueled electric power plants, defending federal rules controlling climate change emissions from large industrial facilities, and pushing for federal controls on emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from the oil and natural gas industry.
The states committed to explore ways to work together to fight climate change, including possible investigations into whether fossil fuel companies misled investors and the public on the impact of climate change on their businesses.
“I want to thank Attorney General Sorrell for his hard work and leadership in joining with other Attorneys General to combat global climate change,” said Governor Peter Shumlin. “A warming planet imperils the Vermont that we love and the livability of the only home that we know. We need look no further than the weather outside the past few months to see the effects that a warming climate will have on our state. The urgency of this issue requires action on every level of government, and I applaud General Sorrell for his efforts.”
Source: Vermont AG 3.29.2016