The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation Wednesday to give states the ability to opt out of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed power-plant rules, which are at the center of President Obama’s climate agenda.
The committee approved the bill, the Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015, by a slim 28-23 vote, sending the measure to the floor vote.
The bill would allow governors to opt out of the EPA’s emissions requirements if they can show the rules will increase rates for consumers and harm the flow of electricity. It also would delay compliance with the rules until all litigation has been reviewed by the courts.
A group of 14 states, along with the coal industry, already has sued the EPA over the emission rules, which sets state-specific greenhouse gas reduction requirements. Many scientists say the emissions are causing the Earth’s climate to warm, creating more severe weather, droughts and flooding. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments April 16.
Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Kentucky, who proposed the bill as a draft over a month ago, praised his colleagues for approving the common-sense measure.
“I thank my colleagues for joining me in support of this practical solution to protect ratepayers from EPA’s unprecedented 111(d) rule,” Whitfield said.
“This bill does not repeal the Clean Power Plan, nor does it preclude a state from moving forward and implementing EPA’s rule. It simply allows states to prevent the proposed rule from imposing unnecessary economic hardship,” he said.
