WASHINGTON, DC - Republican leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today wrote to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson seeking more information about EPA’s plans to regulate carbon emissions for new and existing power plants. Members believe EPA’s New Source Performance Standards will serve as a backdoor energy tax on American consumers. EPA’s recently proposed rule regulating emissions for new power plants is designed to effectively ban the construction of any new coal-fired power plants in America.
Under EPA’s proposed rule, new coal-fired utilities would be required to install costly carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology that is not yet commercially viable. “The practical result is a de facto ban on any new coal-fired power plants. We request information regarding these matters, and also regarding the precedent this proposed rule will set for other sectors regulated under the NSPS program," wrote the members.
Members also requested information regarding EPA’s plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for existing power plants and other source categories regulated under the NSPS program. They wrote, “We are very concerned with the implications of these proposed and forthcoming rulemakings because in addition to supporting thousands of jobs, coal generates affordable electricity, leaving consumers more money to spend on other essential goods and services. In addition to providing consumers with an affordable, reliable supply of electricity, coal provides affordable energy for domestic manufacturing and other businesses."
The Energy and Commerce Committee has been actively conducting oversight on EPA’s aggressive climate change agenda since the start of the 112th Congress. Committee leaders first wrote to EPA a year ago seeking additional information on its planned greenhouse gas regulations.
