Defend the Clean Air Act

Dear Mr. President:

The world's inhabitants -- people, animals, and plants -- are relying on you to take immediate measures to stop the climate crisis in its tracks. I urge you to show bold leadership in this crisis and utilize the successful existing tools of the Clean Air Act to curb greenhouse gas emissions now.

Please take swift action to:
* Move quickly to reduce greenhouse gases from automobiles, ships, airplanes, power plants, and other major pollution sources under the Clean Air Act.
* Prohibit the building of new coal-fired power plants and replace existing plants with clean, renewable energy sources.
* Lead the nation in a rapid, large-scale effort to conserve energy, improve fuel efficiency, and bring clean-energy technologies online.
* Ensure that your administration and Congress retain the Clean Air Act's critical safety net in all new federal climate legislation.

The Clean Air Act works. According to EPA, in 2010, the Clean Air Act's regulation of traditional air pollution will save 23,000 lives and prevent 1.7 million asthma attacks, 4.1 million lost work days, and more than 68,000 hospitalizations and emergency-room visits.

And in its first two decades alone, the Act provided benefits 42 times greater than the estimated costs of regulation, including decreased health-care costs and reduced lost work time worth $22.2 trillion. Similar benefits can be expected if the Act is applied to greenhouse gas emissions, as the law requires.

Thank you for your swift action to protect our planet and future.