Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (June 23, 2015) – Today the U.S. House passed H.R. 2042: the Ratepayer Protection Act. This legislation would suspend enforcement of the EPA’s rule to force the closure of coal-fired power plants until the resolution of the numerous legal challenges to the rule. The bill would also allow state governors to opt out of the rule should the governor determine the rule would have a significant adverse effect on electricity ratepayers or the reliability of the state’s power grid.

Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-at large) and Western Caucus member Rep. Alex Mooney (WV-02) issued the following statements in response:

“The EPA’s plan is one only the rich can afford, increasing the cost of each kilowatt hour and making our energy mix less reliable,” said Chairman Lummis. “This plan might help the President feel morally superior when he is talking about global warming in Paris, but at home people and our economy will suffer. The supposed global warming benefits of this plan are miniscule and its legal validity is questionable at best. At a bare minimum, we need to ensure states have the legal backing to say no to a broken plan that hurts their citizens with higher energy costs and a less reliable grid.”

“I’m pleased that we were able to successfully pass the Rate-Payer Protection Act,” said Rep. Mooney. “This bill protects hard-working West Virginians, many on fixed incomes, from the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Clean Power Plan.” The proposed plan would raise energy costs by as much as $479 billion over the next fifteen years and could increase home energy costs for West Virginia families.”

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