Washington, D.C. – Alaskan Congressman Don Young today released this statement following the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule for regulating carbon emissions from existing power plants:
“This latest decision by the Obama Administration is all part of the President’s ‘pen and phone’ approach to governing, which seeks to circumvent Congress when he finds the people’s elected representatives are unwilling to act as accomplices in advancing his destructive policies,” said Congressman Don Young. “Today, President Obama made good on his promise that under his plan ‘electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.’
“These proposed regulations are nothing more than an economy killer that will greatly drive-up the cost of energy and threaten jobs across the nation. For the same reason, in 2009, I adamantly opposed a cap and trade system that called for a 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020, modest compared to the standards announced by the EPA today.
“These policies, which specifically target fossil fuel-based electricity generation, will seriously jeopardize the stability of a critical power source in the United States. We have already seen a significant reduction in carbon emissions in recent years, the second lowest in more than a quarter century, and I believe our nation can continue to decrease emissions through innovation and technological advancement rather than ideological regulation from Washington D.C. bureaucrats.
“As my staff and I continue to fully to wrap our heads around the thousand page EPA proposal, I will continue to look for opportunities to mitigate the negative impacts associated with implementing and enforcing these proposed standards, which will undoubtedly threaten the reliability of energy delivery in the United States while also driving up costs. I proudly stand with my colleagues in support of the House-passed H.R. 3826, the Electricity Security and Affordability Act, to prevent these rules from taking effect unless the House and Senate approves them by law, and call on the Senate to take up this bill immediately.”
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