Sen. Shelley Moore Capito will be introducing legislation next week to allow states to avoid the "devastating impacts" of the Environmental Protection Agency's power plant emission rules that are at the center of President Obama's climate change agenda.
The West Virginia Republican briefly discussed the legislation during a Tuesday hearing she ran in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where she heads the clean air and nuclear safety panel. The hearing focused on the legal hurdles posed by the EPA emission rules, also known as the Clean Power Plan.
Capito's state is leading a lawsuit with more than a dozen other states opposing EPA's implementation of the Clean Power Plan. West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and other coal-dependent states argue that the emission rules were developed in a way that violates the Clean Air Act, encroaching on states' rights and basic principles of federalism.
"Next week I will be introducing greenhouse gas legislation with my colleagues that will preserve the proper balance of state and federal authority, help ensure reliable and affordable electricity, and protect jobs and our economy," Capito said. "I look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee to advance this bill and prevent the devastating impacts of continued EPA overreach."