DATE: June 25, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Jason Liechty, Environmental Projects Coordinator, Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, Broward County
PHONE: 954-519-0310
EMAIL: jliechty@broward.org

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Broward County Commission yesterday unanimously endorsed the proposed carbon pollution limits for existing power plants announced earlier this month by the Obama administration.

The “Clean Power Plan” carbon pollution limits proposed on June 2 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency represent the first-ever national policy to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, which produce approximately 40 percent of the nation’s total emissions.

“Broward County is proud to be a national leader in addressing climate change at the local level,” said Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief. “But we know we cannot solve this issue on our own. As one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise and other negative impacts, Broward County welcomes federal action that will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are disrupting the climate.”

“Broward County is already dealing with the effects of climate change caused by the carbon pollution of the past,” said Commissioner Kristin Jacobs. “We need rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions worldwide to avoid even more severe damage in the future. With the proposed Clean Power Plan and other steps taken by the administration, the United States is finally demonstrating the kind of leadership it needs to convince the rest of the world to take action to combat global warming.”

The Obama administration has also proposed a carbon pollution standard for new power plants, which is expected to be finalized by January 2015. In addition, the administration had established higher fuel economy standards for trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles, as well as cars and other light-duty vehicles. Vehicles account for roughly a quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Broward County has a long history of strong leadership on climate and environmental issues. The Board signed onto the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement in 2007, adopted a Climate Change Action Plan in 2010, and set a goal in the Climate Element of the County Comprehensive Plan to reduce countywide greenhouse emissions by 82 percent below 2010 levels by 2050.

In February, the Board of County Commissioners set a goal to reduce energy use in County facilities by 2.5 percent per year, for a total of 20 percent by 2020, and to obtain 20 percent of the energy for County operations from renewable sources.

In addition, Broward County played a leading role in creating the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact (Compact) in 2010 and the Compact’s Regional Climate Action Plan (RCAP) in 2012. Originally established by Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, the Compact brings together county and municipal governments and other stakeholders to address climate change in the four counties.

In the years since, Compact partners have produced a unified sea level rise projection and other technical documents to aid planning efforts, as well as the 110-recommendation RCAP, which lays out strategies for coordinated regional efforts to cut carbon emissions and build climate-resilient communities.