WASHINGTON -- Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said Monday that China is where the U.S. was in the 1950s and '60s, namely, on the cusp of a major push for environmental action.
McCarthy spoke at an event at the Center for American Progress ahead of her trip to China next week, noting that the country is experiencing a growing public demand for action on air quality and climate change. Like the previous generation of environmental activism in the U.S., which led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of laws like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, a "significant public outcry" is confronting the Chinese government, said McCarthy. "We have been there before. The U.S. has faced these challenges. We have faced them well, we have faced them over time. We know what planning can do."
China faces major problems combatting pollution from power plants, heavy industry, automobiles and trucks. In recent weeks, the country has seen school closures and warnings of public health threats due to dangerous levels of smog.
McCarthy related a story about an air quality monitor the EPA installed on the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to provide real-time information to embassy staff. The information, which was posted to the embassy's Twitter feed, caused some outrage within the Chinese government. But it did eventually prompt the Beijing municipal government to release its own air quality data, which has created more reporting on pollution issues in the capital.
McCarthy expressed enthusiasm for working with China to address both conventional pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. "Our goal in China is to continue to support them in meeting their air pollution challenges," said McCarthy. "There are good things we can do together. I am hopeful. One of the reasons I am hopeful is that I know what we've been able to accomplish in the United States."
McCarthy responded to the oft-repeated complaint from U.S. opponents of climate action that anything done domestically is meaningless without the commitment of other major international contributors like China. "It's always been a question," said McCarthy. "It's a dance. The music is playing. Somebody has to take the first step. We've been clear all along that this is a global challenge with global responsibilities, but we have a responsibility and we have to meet that."
McCarthy also discussed the EPA's draft rules for new power plants, published in September. The agency is now at work on crafting pollution standards for existing power plants, which are due in June 2014. McCarthy promised that those rules will "provide significant flexibility to the states" in how they can be met. The agency has held 11 so-called listening sessions across the country on the rules, and have received 3,300 comments on the issue. "We are meeting with whoever wants to talk about this," she said.
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