11/11/11 Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) Thursday voted for a resolution introduced by Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to block implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), which is set to go into effect in January. Enacting CSAPR will require hundreds of coal-fired plants in 27 states, including Indiana, to retrofit their plants with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide controls.
CSAPR is one of the most expensive rules in the history of the EPA. The National Economic Research Associates (NERA) estimates that the nationwide average retail electricity price will increase by 11.5 percent by 2016 under this rule. In some regions of the United States, increases of 12.5 percent to 23.5 percent will occur.
“After visiting with several Indiana utilities and power plants, it is clear that implementing this rule will result in significant job losses and skyrocketing rates,” said Coats. “Hitting American energy producers with more harmful federal regulations will not create jobs or bring down energy prices.”
The resolution to block CSAPR implementation failed 41-56. To ensure utilities have time to comply with looming EPA regulations, Senator Coats, along with Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), introduced the bipartisan “Fair Compliance Act.” This legislation would extend the compliance deadline for CSAPR by three years and the deadline for the EPA’s Utility MACT rule by two years – so that both Phase II of CSAPR and Utility MACT would fall on January 1, 2017.
“Given that the Democratic Senate and White House will not overturn these EPA ruleshHouser , American ratepayers and utilities need a safety net,” added Coats. “My legislation will provide states and utilities the extra time needed to plan and prepare.”
Click here or on the image below to watch Senator Coats discuss the Paul Resolution on the Senate floor.
