Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Inhofe told Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy Friday to hand over information about the extent left-leaning nonprofit advocacy groups’ influenced greenhouse gas regulations on power plants.
“While it is well known that these rules will have a devastating economic impact on state and local governments, businesses, and private citizens, very little is known about the amount of taxpayer dollars and agency resources that have already gone into developing these rules,” the Oklahoma Republican told McCarthy in a letter.
“The extent of EPA’s ongoing, close coordination with these groups and individuals and lack of transparency about expenditures in support of these rule makings are unacceptable,” he said.
Inhofe demanded documents such as emails and briefing materials between April 15, 2013 and April 17, 2015 from environmental advocacy groups regarding the proposed rules on carbon emissions from power plants. The advocacy groups include the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Sierra Club and others.
Inhofe also demanded a list of all the contractors and consultants hired by the environmental agency with a summary of each task performed and the amount paid.
“In addition to needing an accounting of the government resources that are being used for these rules, it is equally important for Congress and the public to know the type of outside resources EPA is utilizing to develop and defend the rules,” Inhofe said. “Many important pieces of information about the development, cost and legal strategy for the rules have been shielded from the public and Congress.”
The letter noted that the environmental agency is requesting more than $3.5 million for its 2016 budget to hire 20 more attorneys to support the existing power plant rule. That doesn’t include the more than $11 million requested to finalize and implement the rules.
Inhofe’s panel previously determined that the environmental agency had coordinated with the groups while developing the proposals.
Inhofe noted that agency attorneys met with Natural Resource Defense Council representatives on Aug. 16, 2014, Nov. 11, 2014 and Feb. 2, 2015.
The proposed power plant regulation will require power plants to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030. The environmental agency claims the rule would cost as much as $9 billion per year, but would generate up to $93 billion in health benefits. Critics have claimed the costs will be much higher.
