November 29, 2008
Administrator Stephen L. Johnson
c/o Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center
Environmental Protection Agency
Mailcode: 2822T
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
RE: Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions Under the Clean Air Act,
Docket Id No. EPA‐HQ‐AOR‐2008‐0318.
Dear Administrator Johnson:
I am writing on behalf of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) to urge you to take action immediately to acknowledge that greenhouse gases are a serious threat to public health and welfare.
Jewish tradition teaches that Adam and Eve were asked to “till and to tend” the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:15). As Jews, we believe that humans remain a partner in creation. We fulfill this mandate by practicing “Tikkun Olam,” literally, repairing the world.
Climate change threatens to irreparably alter the Earth. Indeed, we are already seeing its effects. Across the globe, we are witnessing melting glaciers, shifting ranges of plants and animals, extended droughts, and the earlier onset of spring. With continued warming, we can expect more extreme heat and drought, rising sea levels, and higher‐intensity tropical storms. These changes undeniably compromise public health and welfare.
Last year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that climate change is “unequivocal” and that human beings are more than likely causing it. In Massachusetts v. EPA, the Supreme Court affirmed that the EPA has the authority to regulate global warming emissions under the Clean Air Act. Given the imminent and severe threat global warming poses to public health I ask you to exercise your duty to do so. Ultimately, we must reduce global warming pollution by at least 15‐20% from today’s levels by 2020 and by 80% by 2050.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide these comments on the ANPRM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Kefer
Climate and Energy Program Coordinator
Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
