Members of Congress comment on proposed Clean Power Plan repeal

Several members of Congress issued statements Tuesday on the proposed repeal of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan rule.

On March 28, President Donald Trump signed an executive order the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Interior to review regulations affecting the energy industry. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said this week that he would sign a proposed rule to withdraw from the Clean Power Plan.

“I am glad to see that the Environmental Protection Agency is taking formal steps to repeal the Clean Power Plan,” U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), said. “The EPA is supposed to issue reasonable regulations to protect America’s air. The Clean Power Plan was unreasonable and unlawful. It would have hurt energy workers in Wyoming and harmed the state’s economy. I look forward to working with Administrator Pruitt as he pursues policies that protect our environment and allow America’s economy to grow.”

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Energy Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and Environment Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL) issued the statement.

“Moving forward, we need to craft policies that provide greater benefits to consumers while also protecting the environment,” Walden, Upton, and Shimkus said. “We believe these goals aren’t mutually exclusive, which is why, for example, we’ve launched our Powering America hearing series to take a comprehensive look at the role that properly functioning markets can play to spur innovation, promote the efficient use of energy, and encourage competition.”