The EPA final rules aim to slash carbon emissions from fossil-fuel burning power plants in the U.S. by 32 percent by 2030, though many climatologists and environmental activists warn that level may not be enough to stave off major ecological damage.
The EPA’s studies predict the benefits from cutting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants will save American taxpayers upwards of $45 billion in environmental and health-care costs while lowering energy prices. Transitioning to cleaner energy production methods at the same time will also help ensure safer and more reliable energy grids, the EPA ruling states.
Still, GOP leaders in the House and Senate say the EPA rules will hurt the job market and American consumers by driving up electricity prices. The Congressional Review Act resolutions also decry a large new system of governmental regulation that they see as a threat to economic competitiveness.
House Subcommittee on Energy and Power Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) filed the resolutions in the House of Representatives. Congressman Whitfield, whose two largest campaign contributors are the oil & gas and electrical utility sectors, according to OpenSecrets.org, said the Clean Air Act doesn’t give the EPA permission to implement such large-scale environmental reform.
“An EPA takeover of the electricity sector is a recipe for higher bills, reduced reliability, and job losses,” Whitfield said. “These resolutions stand up for ratepayers, jobs, and affordable energy in Kentucky and throughout the country.”
With the resolutions presented, Congress has a 60-day limit to pass a joint resolution disapproving of the federal EPA ruling. That disapproval would have to be signed by off by the president to overturn the EPA ruling.
Since the Obama administration would likely veto the joint resolution, the possibility of House and Senate resolutions disapproving of the EPA power plant regulations are largely symbolic.
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