The House Science Committee recently grilled Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials over the agency's regulatory crackdown on "regional haze" nationwide, and that's fine by one coal-industry group.
The program calls for states to abide by the Clean Air Act, which requires states to develop plans to reduce air pollution that causes haze in national parks. States have developed their own cost-effective programs to reduce haze, but the EPA rejected many of these programs and mandated expensive federal directives
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) welcomed the hearing on the "regional haze" policy, calling the regulations ineffectual and alleging that they're weighing on consumers' budgets by driving up electricity rates.
“Over the past seven years, we have witnessed a parade of bad EPA regulations that show utter disregard for the wishes of the states," ACCCE President and CEO Mike Duncan said. "The regional-haze program is one of the worst examples. Bad EPA regulations are driving up electricity prices, for little or no benefit, and harming lower- and middle-income families who are forced to pay more for energy.”
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