WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) issued the following statement after the Obama administration announced final rules to regulate carbon dioxide (C02) from new and existing power plants.
“It’s lights out for jobs and the economy. The administration has defined itself by its unilateral regulatory overreach - this plan goes well beyond the authority Congress granted to EPA and will be challenged in the courts. This relentless assault on affordable, abundant energy will deliver an economic blow when we can least afford it," said Upton and Whitfield. “Higher electricity rates and threats to grid reliability are real concerns - and sadly it is our most vulnerable citizens in Michigan, Kentucky, and all across the country who will pay the heaviest price. Jobs and the economy remain our priority, and we will continue standing up for American workers and affordable energy."
In June, the House passed bipartisan legislation, H.R. 2042, the Ratepayer Protection Act. The bill would allow the courts to review any final C02 rule issued for existing power plants before requiring states to comply, and would also ensure that states could protect ratepayers from significant adverse effects on electricity rates and reliability.
