In a move rife with symbolism, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have asked a Washington, DC power plant to cut its GHG emissions by switching its fuel from coal to natural gas. “The Capitol Power Plant continues to be the No. 1 source of air pollution and carbon emissions in the District of Columbia and the focal point for criticism from local community and national environmental and public health groups,” the leading Democrats wrote in a letter addressed to Stephen Ayers, acting Architect of the Capitol. The plant’s emissions have been a Congressional wedge for years. Environmentalists and city residents have called for it to stop burning coal on many occasions, but lawmakers from coal-producing states have blocked their efforts. It would cost $7 million to switch the plant completely to natural gas.
Interestingly, a coalition of environmental groups led by Bill McKibben of 350.org will be protesting at this 100-year-old plant today to convince Congress — and Americans — that fossil fuels are driving the climate crisis, and that the transition to clean, renewable energy must happen much sooner than most Americans realize. (Source: The New York Times)