“President Obama is demonstrating the national leadership we need in the battle against climate change with the pragmatic action plan released today. The ambitious roadmap includes proposals to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for a changing climate – steps we must take to avoid the devastation and loss that come with extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy. The President’s plan recognizes both the significant cost of inaction and that Washington must support the work of local governments to become more resilient. Our own landmark sustainability program PlaNYC has helped produce major greenhouse gas reductions and our long-term climate resilience strategy, ‘A Stronger, More Resilient New York,’ outlines the specific steps our City must take to protect against extreme weather. A Federal policy complementing and supporting this work will ensure we can continue to build on these initiatives. It’s encouraging that the President will fulfill the requirement under the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions from existing power plants, which will help address the 13,000 American deaths that coal-fired power plants cause each year. While action from Congress on comprehensive legislation to reduce carbon emissions is still needed, this proposal is a sound national strategy that reflects much of the work already going on in cities around the world.”