National Mining Association backs effort to revamp Clean Power Plan

In response to the White House’s recently announced intention to repeal the Clean Power Plan, National Mining Association (NMA) President and CEO Hal Quinn issued a statement supporting the action from the group’s Washington, D.C.-based headquarters.

“As reported, (EPA) Administrator (Scott) Pruitt will signal a decisive break with past policies that have used regulation of doubtful legality to circumvent the will of Congress, usurp states’ authority and raise costs on American consumers,” Quinn said in a release, adding that repealing this mandate will potentially “close a chapter” of over-regulation.

The Clean Power Plan, aimed at reducing carbon pollution from power plants, was instituted during President Barack Obama's administration. 

“The Clean Power Plan represented an unlawful attempt to transform the nation’s power grid. It would have destroyed additional baseload power assets, leaving our economy more vulnerable to reliability concerns and higher costs with trivial environmental benefits,” Quinn said in the statement.

Quinn added that the administration’s decision will both save jobs and protect coal production.

“(Achieving) environmental improvement will rely on sound legal rules and proven technologies that can sustain the impressive reductions in emissions achieved over the past decades,” Quinn said in the release. “Such an approach consistent with EPA’s basic mission will restore the important balance between costs and benefits that have been missing from federal regulatory policies.”