Congress Weighs In Against Proposed Carbon Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed limits on carbon emissions from power plants is the latest in a series of regulations designed to further the administration’s unrealistic goal of carbon-free electricity by 2035. Fossil fuels provided 60 percent of our nation’s electricity last year, but EPA is set to upend grid reliability with this ill-advised rule. 

Utilities have already announced plans to retire more than 40 percent of the remaining U.S. coal fleet by 2030. EPA’s proposed carbon rule would place the remainder in jeopardy of premature closure. The administration and EPA are gambling with the nation’s energy future, and we are not the only ones who think so. The Wall Street Journal called the rule “An EPA death sentence for fossil-fuel power plants,” and it triggered condemnation on Capitol Hill.

Here are a few of the statements from Senate and House members:

“By imposing unworkable deadlines and unproven technologies not commercially available, this latest version of Democrats’ so-called Clean Power Plan poses an existential threat to providers of affordable and reliable American energy. Complying with Washington bureaucrat’s latest wishes requires technology that producers cannot access, costs that they cannot swallow, and pain that lower-income ratepayers cannot stomach.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) – U.S. Senate Republican Leader

“The EPA’s new power plant rule will further strain America’s electric grid and wipe out decades of work to build power generation capacity to keep the lights on across the country, dependably, with the flip of a switch. This proposal, if enacted, would disrupt domestic energy security, force reliable coal power plants to close, and make new natural gas plants almost impossibly difficult to get up and running.”

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH-6) – Chair, Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials

“Mandating more electrification while making it harder to produce electricity is a recipe for disaster. The Biden EPA’s new proposed rules for power plants will put Americans at risk of blackouts, energy shortages, and higher prices by shutting down reliable energy sources.”

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC-3) – Chair, Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security

“The EPA’s new proposed rules would kill jobs in Wyoming and raise energy costs for families across the country. We can protect the environment and unleash clean, affordable, and reliable American energy at the same time.”

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

“Today’s proposal further risks the security and reliability of our country’s electric grid, which could lead to energy shortages and rolling blackouts like those experienced across several states this past winter.”

Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9) – Chair, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

“Despite being blocked by SCOTUS, the Biden administration is once again advancing costly and overreaching rules meant to shutter baseload power plants, including coal-fired plants in North Dakota, putting the reliability and affordability of the electric grid at risk.”

Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) – Member, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources