House, Senate Introduce Legislation To Stop EPA Regulations

Alexandria, Va. – The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity today praised the introduction in the U.S. House and Senate of bipartisan legislation that would ensure the authority to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases rests with Congress, and not the EPA. The bills were introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton and Senate Environment and Public Works Ranking Member James Inhofe.

“The EPA’s sweeping regulations will affect the lives of millions of Americans, from their electricity bills to the economy as a whole. Given this wide-ranging impact, it is important that Congress – not the EPA – address greenhouse gas emissions in a manner that takes into consideration both environmental and economic impacts,” said Steve Miller, president and CEO of ACCCE.

The bills would eliminate EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, which is ill-suited for that task. The legislation introduced today would leave in place all of the essential provisions of the Clean Air Act.

EPA’s proposed regulations on greenhouse gas emissions could have a dramatic impact on jobs and the economy. A recent analysis by the American Council for Capital Formation concluded that uncertainty caused by these regulations could, by 2014, result in the loss of between $25 billion to $75 billion in investment in the economy and that this could result in the loss of between 476,000 and 1.4 million jobs.

“At a time when Americans are struggling with high energy costs, the EPA’s proposed regulations could make electricity more expensive. The affordability of coal-fueled electricity has helped moderate increases in energy costs, and continued reliance on coal can help the U.S. recover economically and American businesses to compete globally,” said Miller. “We thank Chairman Upton and Senator Inhofe for their leadership on this critical issue as well as Members of Congress from both parties who have agreed to be initial co-sponsors of the bill.”