Contacts:
Matt Dempsey Matt_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-9797
Katie Brown Katie_Brown@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-2160
Republican Leaders Urge EPA to Give American People More Time to Weigh in on New Rules Affecting Electricity Prices
WASHINGTON, DC – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Ranking Member James M. Inhofe (R-OK) today sent the following letter to the Obama administration urging additional time for public comment on the proposed Utility MACT rule.
The leaders raised concerns regarding the EPA’s rush to implement the new regulations without allowing time for adequate public comment, writing, “A rule of this consequence requires time for stakeholders to analyze what has been proposed; it also requires that EPA fully consider stakeholder input. The current, truncated schedule is insufficient to provide for a thoughtful, deliberative rulemaking process – especially considering the magnitude of what has been proposed.”
The Utility MACT rule is one of the most complex and expensive proposed regulations in the agency’s history. The EPA has acknowledged the rule would increase electricity prices and trigger plant shutdowns, costing American jobs. The agency estimates the compliance costs of the proposed rule will be $10.9 billion annually. The public must be given time to fully evaluate and comment on the proposed rule, examine the underlying data, and to address the approaches, definitions and issues upon which EPA has solicited comment.
The letter was sent just one day following EPA’s announcement of plans to delay implementation for its Boiler MACT rule to allow for more time for reconsideration and public review and comment. The Republican leaders hope the agency will follow its own precedent and extend the timeline for comments on the Utility MACT rule as well.
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