Folks;

On yesterday’s SEIA 111d call, we learned that 7/30 is targeted as a national day of action for social media to support the forthcoming EPA Clean Power Plan rule, which could come out as early as Aug 4.

Let’s all think internally with our comms teams, and with SEIA staff, about how we can draw attention to the EPA rule with regard to the benefits for all Americans, a la, the themes and goals that we’ve been discussing for the CEC comte:  benefits of solar to all Americans, job creation, policies to increase access to solar for all Americans, and the great job that the solar industry is doing on gender, diversity, military vet hires.

Let Heather/me know if you want us to set up a discussion before 7/30 among the CEC comte to share ideas and social media plans. 

Until then, I hope your company will consider piling on in social media support of the forthcoming rule, along the lines of the themes above.

Finally, please review the Waco Tribune article below, as related.  Heather/Christopher, please ensure SEIA Comms is aware of this?  thx

Cheers;

Polly

http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/columns/guest_columns/mario-h-lopez-guest-columnist-clean-power-plan-to-hit/article_18252f99-e12c-55f9-9730-b2841052aef0.html

Mario H. Lopez, guest columnist: Clean Power Plan to hit Hispanic families in Texas hard

Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2015 12:01 am

Mario H. Lopez, guest columnist: Clean Power Plan to hit Hispanic families in Texas hardMARIO H. LOPEZ Guest columnistWaco Tribune-Herald

With the Environmental Protection Agency set to finalize its Clean Power Plan regulation next month, a key question looms: How will higher energy prices affect working families? This is especially important in a state like Texas, home to 10.8 million Hispanics, one of many underserved communities vulnerable to rising energy costs.

A first-of-its-kind study by the National Black Chamber of Commerce provides the answer. The short version: It will leave low-income Texans with disproportionately fewer jobs, lower incomes and more poverty.

A centerpiece of President Obama’s second-term agenda, this regulation aims to cut Texas’ carbon dioxide emissions by 39 percent over the next 15 years. This will require a total overhaul of the state’s energy grid, which according to the study will increase electricity and natural gas costs by more than 100 percent.

Why will this be especially harmful to low-income families? It’s really quite simple: Because they already spend a higher portion of their incomes on utilities bills. Thus, as energy prices rise, utility bills will eat a disproportionately larger percentage of lower-income paychecks.

Consider the impact to Hispanic households. Over the next decade, this “energy burden” — the percentage of annual income used to pay residential energy bills — is expected to nearly double, leaving families with less money for food, housing, health care and other necessities many families already struggle to afford.

There are also the lost jobs and depressed incomes that will result from higher energy costs —and the thousands of families it will further impoverish.

The study estimates the EPA’s new regulation will more than double Texas’ industrial electricity rates by 2030. By dramatically increasing costs, the EPA will force businesses to move jobs overseas, freeze hiring, lay off employees or cut employees’ pay.

These are the natural results of a federal policy making it even more expensive to run a business. By 2025, the study predicts annual job losses totaling 325,000 for Texas’s Hispanics, for example, while annual household incomes could be slashed by $460.

If only it ended there. Compounding the economic damage will be higher prices for everyday goods and services. And that’s because literally everything — from clothing to food to toothpaste — requires electricity to be manufactured and shipped to your local store’s shelves. As energy becomes increasingly expensive, consumers will pay higher prices every time we go to the supermarket or click the “purchase” button online.

Some may be thinking, “Yeah, it will cost a lot, but won’t it help the environment?” Well, not really. According to the EPA’s own climate model emulator, the regulation would have a negligible impact on the environment — just 0.018 degrees over the next 85 years.

So, given that this is a federal regulation, what can state lawmakers do to protect their constituents from such economic hardship? Several things.

This regulation’s implementation largely depends on states submitting their own plans. This makes it easy for Gov. Greg Abbott to protect Texas’ families: He can simply order the state not to submit such a plan, as several other governors have already done. State legislators also could pass similar legislation before implementation plans are due to the EPA next fall.

These state-based solutions are perfectly legal under the regulation. They’re also the right steps to take. The alternative is higher costs, lower incomes and greater hardships for all of Texas’ families. State lawmakers should do everything possible to prevent it from happening.

Mario H. Lopez is president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, an advocacy organization dedicated to promoting liberty, opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. He served as executive director of the U.S. Congressional Hispanic Conference.