Stewart: New EPA Regulations are Pure Fantasy

Washington, D.C. -- Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new carbon regulations, requiring power plants to cut their carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Following this announcement, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), former chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Environment, released the following statement:

"What the EPA is calling a "common sense plan" is just pure fantasy. It's just another example of more expensive, big-government regulation, and less freedom for american businesses and american families. These new regulations will require existing power plants to cut carbon emissions by 30%, which will require billions of dollars in renovations and cost over 400,000 jobs. The costs of this new regulation will be paid for by you and me in the form of increased power bills, fewer jobs, a decrease in the manufacturing sector, and more expensive energy efficient products."

"President Obama ran on an all-of-the-above energy platform. His plan promised to support economic growth, job creation and energy security. But over the last 5 years, instead of 'developing every source of American-made energy', he has engaged in a war on coal. The President's administration is crushing energy development with over-regulation. Instead of growing the economy, he's stifling it — forcing companies to cut employees hours and jobs to pay for these new regulations. Even the President himself admitted, that these kind of proposals will be make energy bills 'necessarily skyrocket'."

"This comes at horrible timing, as just last week it was announced that our GDP shrunk for the first time in 3 years. We need to be growing our economy, focusing on investing in new technology and cultivating the untapped energy resources found across the United States."

Issues:

Energy

113th Congress