TAUC Members: Tell EPA What You Think -- Your Voice Needs To Be Heard!

September 2 2014

Attention contractors – TAUC needs your help!

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently accepting public comments on its proposed rule to lower carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from power plants. Called the Clean Power Plan, it would impose severe, unrealistic emissions restrictions on utilities across the country…and almost certainly force the closure of hundreds of coal-fired generating units. Simply put, fewer coal-fired units mean fewer jobs for the thousands of hardworking union contractors and their highly skilled partners in the building trades.

You can read all about the plan at EPA’s website.

Read TAUC’s comments to EPA here.

Read TAUC CEO Steve Lindauer’s article on the plan here.

Union contractors need to let EPA know what they think about its latest set of misguided regulations. TAUC is urging all of its members to take a few minutes and submit comments on the Clean Power Plan before the December 1 deadline. Our voices need to be heard! EPA needs to hear from contractors about the impact its plan will have on their livelihoods — and the union construction and industrial maintenance industries as a whole. They need to hear real stories and real experiences that only you can provide. They need to hear about the impact previous regulations have had on your businesses. They need to hear about the lost opportunities – and the lost jobs.

TAUC has already submitted a set of comments to EPA. But frankly, that’s not enough. Your voice needs to be added to the chorus of businesses and utilities calling on EPA to stop trying to regulate coal-fired plants out of existence.

How Can You File a Comment?

Filing a comment with EPA is easy, and there are multiple ways to do it.

♦ Click on this link and file your comment online. Write what you want to say beforehand, then paste it into the comment window. You’ll see a preview of what you’ve written and get a chance to make any edits you like. When you’re satisfied, just click, and your comment is entered.

♦ Email your comments to A-and-R-Docket@epa.gov. Be sure to include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602 in the subject line of the message (if you click on the email link, you’ll see that we’ve already filled in the subject line for you).

♦ Fax your comments to: 202-566-9744.

♦ Mail your comments to: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Mailcode 28221T, Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2013-0602, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.

What Should You Say?

Many beginning writers are given a piece of old advice: “Write about what you know.” The same is true for writing comments to the EPA. Tell the agency about your business and your company. Describe the challenges you face due to the government’s onerous regulations. Point out what would happen if more coal-fired power plants are forced to close. Be specific – don’t sugarcoat the negative impact on your company, the jobs of the people you work with, and your own career.

Be respectful and professional in your comments – remember, they are public and will be seen by everyone! Avoid insults – and, of course, don’t use any profanities. Be careful not to include any confidential or proprietary data that you don’t want others seeing.

The federal government has also put together some tips on effective commenting.

Sample Comment Template

If you’re still not sure what to say, or have a little trouble getting started, TAUC has put together a sample comment template. It contains a brief summary of the major points we will be making in our official comments later on. Feel free to use any or all of the information in the template – but we urge you to add your own thoughts, comments and experiences as well. It won’t do any good if EPA receives several thousand form letters. You have a story to tell – tell it!

Download the Comment Template in Microsoft Word Format

The Deadline for Submitting Comments is December 1!