Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
11/13/2015
Getting significant air time at a Republican debate for the first time in the run-up to the primaries, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan carbon regulations for coal-fired power plants were harshly criticized by several candidates Tuesday evening. “The first thing I would do as president is repeal the regulations that are hampering our energy that the president has put in place, including the Clean Power [Plan]. While I do think that man may have a role in our climate, I think nature also has a role,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said during the debate.
Paul added that while the rules might be environmentally beneficial, they cause too much harm to the economy to be pragmatic. “[The] president’s often fond of saying he wants a balanced solution, but, really we do need to balance both keeping the environment clean, and we will have some rules for that. We got to balance that with the economy,” Paul said.
The regulations, dubbed the Clean Power Plan, put in place federally set state-specific emissions reduction goals and require states to develop action plans to meet those targets. The rules do not mandate any specific actions, allowing states to take whatever path they deem best.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush also said the rule should be repealed, but may have signaled openness to a future regulation. “The Clean Power [Plan], we ought to repeal that and start over on that,” he said.
Sen. Marco Rubio (Flo.) did not address the rule directly, but noted a need to “fully utilize our energy resources so we can reinvigorate manufacturing” as a step toward making the U.S. “the best place in the world to start a business or expand an existing business.”
