JEFFERSON CITY, MO. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released one of the most expensive and far-reaching rules in its history when it rolled out the Clean Power Plan, designed to regulate carbon emissions from the electric power sector. The rule represents an unprecedented intrusion into affairs of the states that will increase costs for small businesses, manufacturers, and households while threatening electric reliability.
Associated Industries of Missouri stands in opposition to this plan alongside other business leaders from more than 170 organizations and trade associations in the Partnership for a Better Energy Future (PBEF). PBEF will continue to explore every possible remedy to make sure greenhouse gas (GHG) regulatory actions do not cost American jobs and hurt the U.S. economy.
“EPA’s Clean Power Plan is bad news for consumers, manufacturers, or anyone else who uses electricity-in short, everyone,” said Ray McCarty, President/CEO of AIM. “There is no doubt that this rule will have devastating impacts on businesses and communities across the country and pose real risks to the electric grid that we rely on. This is a bad plan for consumers that will have a negligible impact on global GHG emissions, and may not reduce them at all, instead simply moving emissions to other countries that have not implemented similar restrictions, such as China and India.”
Today’s proposal includes numerous changes from the rule that was first proposed in June 2014, that the Partnership intends to thoroughly review and comment on in the coming days and weeks. At the outset, however, it is clear that the numerous fundamental problems with rule not only remain, but have been exacerbated by the Obama Administration’s decision to make national emissions limits even more stringent. PBEF is committed to working through all available means to ensure the serious economic harms from this sweeping regulation are not realized, and plans to be an active voice in this debate on behalf of American businesses.
The Partnership for a Better Energy Future is a coalition of stakeholders representing nearly every segment of the U.S. economy, unified in our support for responsible energy regulations. The Partnership’s fundamental mission is to ensure the continued availability of reliable and affordable energy for American families and businesses.
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