Mayor Hamilton supports IU scientists in objection to proposed repeal of environmental regulation and encourages public engagement

Bloomington, In. – As the Environmental Protection Agency proposes withdrawing the Clean Power Plan (CPP) of 2015, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton is registering his objection to the repeal in allegiance with a group of scientists affiliated with Indiana University. Hamilton supports the view taken by the non-partisan organization of 850 scientists, students, and supporters of science known as Concerned Scientists @ IU (CSIU) in their letter of public comment to the EPA and encourages residents to join in the group’s objection to the proposed federal action by making their own comments on the agency’s website. The comment period ends Thursday, April 26 at 11:59 pm. 

Hamilton endorsed the scientists’ judgment that the proposed repeal of the CPP is based on an intentional misreading of the Clean Air Act of 1970, from which the CPP was enacted. The CPP implemented standards for carbon emissions that favor the adoption of renewable energy over fossil fuels.  CSIU argues that the CPP is not only consistent with the Clean Air Act, but that its elimination “is not justifiable in light of the strong scientific evidence on the contribution of fossil fuel combustion to Earth’s global climate balance.”  

“I strongly support the IU scientists in their demand that environmental policy be based on scientific evidence,” said Hamilton, “and wholeheartedly endorse their assertion that the renewable energy sector will promote health and economic growth, while protecting the planet.”

Hamilton’s stand against the proposed repeal reprises his pledge in June 2017 to remain committed to the Paris Climate Agreement notwithstanding the withdrawal from the treaty at the national level.  Hamilton was one of nearly 400 mayors across the country to have signed a statement expressing their continuing support for the accord and their dedication to environmental stewardship.

As part of that effort, the City of Bloomington is currently developing its first Sustainability Action Plan to identify strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and transportation-related areas of focus.  The city has recently completed solar panel installations at 30 of its facilities and partnered with the Southern Indiana Renewable Energy Network (SIREN) to install solar panels at more than 100 Bloomington residences in 2017.  A joint city-university bikeshare program will increase Bloomington’s transportation alternatives by 200 bicycles when it launches in June.

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