U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) on June 5 led dozens of their colleagues in proposing a bicameral resolution to stop the Biden administration from shutting down American power plants.
“This Congressional Review Act resolution allows Congress to step in and reverse the Biden administration’s efforts to practically eliminate our reliable power generation by 2032,” said Rep. Balderson.
The congressman sponsored House Joint Resolution 163 alongside 138 Republican original cosponsors, while Sen. Capito led 44 original cosponsors in offering the bipartisan Senate Joint Resolution 92, which is backed by lead original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).
If enacted, the identical resolutions would repeal a final rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relating to “New Source Performance Standards for Greenhouse Gas Emissions From New, Modified, and Reconstructed Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units; Emission Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Existing Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units; and Repeal of the Affordable Clean Energy Rule.”
Also known as the Clean Power Plan 2.0, the rule imposes unrealistic emissions requirements on existing coal-fired power plants and newly constructed gas-fired power plants, according to the lawmakers.
“This vote is an important one because the Biden administration’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 makes it clear it will stand with climate activists, regardless of the harm that is sure to be done to families, workers, and communities across West Virginia and the rest of the country,” said Sen. Capito. “I appreciate so many of my Senate and House colleagues for joining this bipartisan effort to reject another unrealistic, overreaching regulation, and I look forward to the vote.”
Among the numerous groups supporting the resolution are the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the National Mining Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Coal Council, the Conservative Political Action Coalition, and Americans for Prosperity.
Several companies also endorsed the resolution, including American Electric Power, Duke Energy, PBF Energy, and Buckeye Power.
“The Clean Power Plan 2.0 was created by and for extreme activists, ignoring the real-world harm it will cause to our electric grid and American energy security,” added Rep. Balderson. “Slashing our baseload energy production while power demand continues to climb at historic levels is shortsighted and will have a catastrophic impact for Ohioans.”