WINTER SPORTS COMMUNITY OPTIMISTIC AFTER OBAMA’S CLIMATE STATEMENT

The winter sports community is relieved to hear that President Obama is addressing the relationship that climate change is playing in the economic survival of mountain communities. The President’s climate plan, which was announced on June 25, included cutting carbon pollution from power plants, which are one of the largest sources of unregulated carbon pollution affecting climate change. Check out the full press release below.

Press Release:

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA (June 25, 2013) – Today, President Obama followed through on his pledge to act on the threat of climate change and took an important step forward to end industrial carbon pollution.

The President’s climate plan is full of common sense solutions but his decision to take action to cut carbon pollution from power plants is particularly important since power plants are the largest source of unregulated carbon pollution and key to protecting Americans from the impacts of climate change.

The President specifically mentioned the threat of climate change to our changing snowpack and the economic impact that it has on our tourist-dependent mountain communities. “Mountain communities worry about what smaller snow packs will mean for tourism, and then families at the bottom of the mountains wonder what it’ll mean for their drinking water,” said the President.

“Hearing the President mention the changing snowpack and the climate change’s threat to the economic survival of our mountain communities validated what we’ve been working towards since 2007,” said Chris Steinkamp, Executive Director of Protect Our Winters.

Winter sports industry leaders have also expressed their support for today’s climate plan.  “We are thankful that the White House has taken key steps to address climate change. Forward progress in this area is necessary to ensure that the snow sports industry can thrive and we can enjoy the outdoors for many generations to come.  Thanks Obama for helping to save snow!,” said Jake Burton Carpenter and Donna Carpenter, Owners, Burton Snowboards.

Climate change is already directly affecting the snow sports industry that generates $66 billion annually for the US economy and supports 965,000 jobs nationwide. 

“On behalf of the winter sports community, we thoroughly support and thank President Obama for making climate change a priority, for recognizing it’s threat to us and specifically, for taking this historic action to cut carbon pollution from power plants,” said Steinkamp.