Statement of EDF President Fred Krupp on the 2014 State of the Union Address

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Keith Gaby, 202-572-3336, kgaby@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

“Tonight the President called for more urgent action to address the threat of climate change. I was pleased to see that he reiterated his commitment to the Climate Action Plan he announced in June.

“I was also thrilled to see former EDF Climate Corps fellow, Tyrone Davis, sitting with the First Lady. Inviting him to attend the speech honored his personal dedication and hard work. We are very proud of our EDF Climate Corps program which trains graduate students to find energy savings in corporations and public institutions.

“In addition to the groundbreaking Climate Action Plan, the Obama Administration has set cleaner standards for our cars and trucks, doubled down on its renewable energy goal and — most important — proposed the first-ever national limits on carbon pollution from power plants. We look forward now to action on methane, another powerful climate pollutant. As the President told the New Yorker magazine recently, methane pollution will be a ‘profound’ problem if not handled correctly. The President also proposed tonight to shift more vehicles to natural gas — but that would indeed cause profound problems for the climate unless his Administration takes action to curb methane releases from the natural gas industry.

“We plan to work with the President to implement his Climate Action Plan and encourage him to use every means at his disposal to address this looming crisis.”

• Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund