EPA VETERAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY EXPERT MICHELLE DEPASS AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT ON PROPOSED REPEAL OF CLEAN POWER PLAN and impact on low-income communities of color]DePass will testify at "people's hearing" on the Clean Power Plan co-hosted by the New York City Mayor's Office, the New York City Attorney General's Office, and The New School on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at the Auditorium at 66 West 12th Street |
New York, January 5, 2017 — Michelle DePass, Director of the Tishman Environment & Design Center at The New School and a veteran of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is available for comment on the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan, the impact of climate change on low-income communities of color, and the efforts of governments and institutions to meet emissions targets. DePass, an environmental justice advocate, says "the EPA should be striving to fulfill its mission to protect human health and the environment by enforcing the CPP and going a step further to develop strategies to ensure justice and equity in its implementation” “Climate change is a clear and present danger to this nation," adds DePass, who was recently recognized by City & State as a 2017 CSR Responsible 100 Honoree. "Its effects will be most strongly felt by low-income communities and communities of color that are already overburdened with social and environmental injustices and harms." DePass further states that while the EPA's decision may alter national policy, "it won't change the policies of governments and institutions who will continue to press ahead with their own targets and solutions for reducing emissions, and the vast majority of the business community, which has already committed to a low-carbon future." DePass will testify during a “people's hearing” on the Clean Power Plan hosted by the New York City Mayor’s Office, the New York City Attorney General’s Office, and The New School on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2:30 pm-5 pm (session 1) and 6-8 pm (session 2). The New York City hearing is being held as a response to the EPA’s scheduling of just one public hearing — in the heart of Coal Country in Charleston, W. Va. — on the proposed repeal. New Yorkers are encouraged to sign up to testify and/or submit testimony on the Trump Administration’s proposal to scrap the Clean Power Plan. Testimony will be compiled and submitted to the EPA ahead of the January 16, 2018 deadline for comments. DePass believes the Clean Power Plan “is a necessary step toward curbing greenhouse gas emissions.” “Instead of taking a do-nothing approach to addressing climate change, the U.S. EPA should be striving to fulfill its mission to protect human health and the environment by enforcing the CPP and going a step further to develop strategies to ensure justice and equity in its implementation,” she adds. “Climate change is a clear and present danger to this nation. Its effects will be most strongly felt by low-income communities and communities of color that are already overburdened with social and environmental injustices and harms." DePass, who is also dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy and Tishman Professor of Environmental Policy and Management at The New School, formerly served at the EPA as Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs between 2009 and 2013. In this presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position, DePass was responsible for all dimensions of environmental policy between the EPA and other nations, federally recognized tribal nations, and multilateral institutions and donors. DePass is a sought after civil society leader and has served on dozens of boards and advisory committees to government, NGO’s and international organizations. In her two-decade career in sustainability and public service, DePass has served as Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, founding Executive Director of the New York Environmental Justice Alliance, Senior Policy Advisor to the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and environmental manager for the City of San Jose. |
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