Karen Frantz
GHG Monitor
2/07/2014
In the latest legislative attempt to block President Obama’s plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced a bill this week that would allow any state to opt out of federal regulations governing electric generating units. The bill would allow a state to permanently waive such rules promulgated under the Clean Air Act if its governor certifies that the units are necessary for reasons of power reliability and affordability. In remarks on the Senate floor, Inhofe warned of massive blackouts should the Administration’s rules be implemented. He pointed to a figure reported by American Electric Power showing it ran on 89 percent of the coal generation it has scheduled to retire in 2015 during the cold spell last week. “American Electric Power’s announcement should cause all of us great concern, but the [Environmental Protection Agency] is not listening,” Inhofe said. “States have long protected and conserved their environments with great success and state governments are in a much better position to determine which power plants should and should not remain open despite the regulations.”
The Environmental Protection Agency has introduced a draft rule that would limit greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants, and it has plans to introduce a draft rule later this year that would set GHG emission standards for existing plants. Inhofe contended the rules would be costly and could force existing coal-fired power plants to shut down and prevent new ones from being built. He also argued that the Obama Administration was trying to enact limits on greenhouse gases through regulation after attempts at limiting emissions through legislation failed.
Inhofe is not the first legislator to target the EPA’s proposed rules. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have introduced twin bills in the House and Senate that would render the EPA rule for new power plants ineffective and stipulate that any future rules for power plants would not go into effect unless Congress first passes legislation setting an enactment date. The House version of the bill easily passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in January and the sister version has been introduced in the Senate, but it faces an almost guaranteed veto by President Obama.
