WASHINGTON, D.C.
– U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor to voice her opposition to Michael Regan to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

HIGHLIGHTS: 

WHY I’M VOTING NO: “Throughout his confirmation process, Secretary Regan did not commit to a different policy agenda than that of the Obama administration — an agenda that absolutely devastated my state and other energy producing states. In his nomination hearing, Secretary Regan would not comment as to whether the so-called Clean Power Plan — or something worse — would be reinstituted. He did not rule out a return to the WOTUS Rule. He would not say whether the EPA would again claim overreaching authority to force states to shift electricity generation sources. He could not commit to real changes. And that is because the agenda is already set. Climate czar Gina McCarthy and others have already set the table.”

WHO’S REALLY IN CHARGE?: “For almost two months now – unaccountable czar Gina McCarthy has been working both behind the scenes and in front of the press to lay the groundwork for the Biden administration’s agenda. She’s wielding her power publicly to make it clear who’s calling the shots and directing the troops. As McCarthy herself recently said, ‘I've got a small stronghold office, but I am an orchestra leader for a very large band.’ She’s operating this stronghold office with no transparency – outside of the Senate confirmation process.”

ABANDONING WEST VIRGINIA: “They’re willing to admit to their war on coal. It upsets me because they wouldn’t say it to the people of my state when they were in office. They didn’t have the courage to look people in West Virginia—they didn’t even come to our state to talk about it—to look at them in the eye and admit they wanted to wipe coal off the map. Had they come, they would have had to hear in-person, eye-to-eye, the harm, the devastation that workers in coal industry and many other associated industries in West Virginia were facing.”

PROVE ME WRONG: “So without commitments to different policies than what was pursued in the Obama EPA, I cannot support Secretary Regan today. But you know what? I hope he proves me wrong. I hope he makes good on his promise to work with Republicans to help address climate issues. As Ranking Member of the EPW Committee, I stand ready to just do that. We have so much common ground on climate issues. I hope Secretary Regan can cut Gina McCarthy out of power and let her know who is calling the shots for environmental policy for the Biden administration.”

 

 

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