WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, responded to an article published in the Washington Examiner entitled, “Electric Industry Brushes off Power-Plant Ruling.” Chairman Whitfield released the following statement pertaining to the article:
“This administration has single-handedly imposed regulations on the electricity sector that not only raise serious legal questions, but amount to a federal takeover of the way in which we generate, transmit, and consume electricity in this country.
I have strong concerns with recent comments made by representatives of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), whose members make up about 70 percent of the power sector. EEI appears to be using EPA’s own talking points, claiming the Clean Power Plan ‘will be a driver of market forces already underway,’ that the ‘Clean Power Plan affords a good deal of flexibility for the states,’ and that the Supreme Court’s recent ruling to stay the Clean Power Plan ‘doesn’t really change anything.’ These claims are not representative of the positions of many of the country’s electric utilities.
There are 27 states and other stakeholders, including many EEI member companies, who have challenged this rule on the grounds that it goes far beyond the EPA’s legal authority provided by Congress. The recent decision by the Supreme Court to issue a stay of this rule is a major roadblock for the administration. EPA is now prohibited from forcing states into a federally enforceable compliance plan before judicial review of the rule is complete, pushing the clock beyond President Obama’s term.
We should not succumb to this President and his extreme climate-driven policies. We should take note of the recent Supreme Court decision and stay the course challenging its legal validity, for the devastating impacts this rule will have on our American families and businesses cannot be ignored.”