Senators: Congress, not EPA, should set energy policies
by Wally Northway
Published: March 7,2011
Tags: energy, environment, federal government, greenhouse gases, jobs, taxes
Cochran
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are supporting legislation they say will protect the American people from higher energy costs by halting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) efforts to impose greenhouse gas regulations on industry.
The Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011 (S.482) clarifies that the EPA does not have the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases for climate change purposes and maintains that responsibility for climate and energy policy lies with Congress, according to the senators. It would “effectively block the EPA from forcing new unfounded federal regulations on power plants, refineries and other industrial operations.”
“The Congress should retain its prerogative to establish policies regarding climate change. I do not think the Obama administration and the EPA should work independently of Congress on these issues. I support this bill as a bid to protect industry productivity, job creation and American consumers, who will ultimately bear the cost of these EPA actions,” Cochran said.
This legislation also amends the Clean Air Act to expressly define greenhouse gases that are to be excluded from any climate change-related regulation and prohibits the EPA from collecting fines on those gases.
The Energy Tax Prevention Act was authored by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. In all, 42 Republican senators and one Democratic senator are signed as original cosponsors of the legislation.
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March 8th, 2011 at 8:56 am
If the EPA does not regulate our “environmental air”, Mississippi leaders are not. An “inspection sticker” for your automobile is five dollars and their is no regard for the fumes coming out of the tailpipe. Therefore, what do we have to look forward to breathing of the gases and particulates coming out of the new coal plant that is being built 2.5 miles from my residence?