HUNTINGTON - First-term U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., talked about the energy industry's fight against tightened Environmental Protection Agency regulations and the importance of a long-term solution for the nation's Highway Trust Fund during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.
Capito, West Virginia's first female senator, reflected on her first six months in office and said she believes open dialogue is moving legislation at a faster pace in the Republican-controlled Senate.
The conservative agenda took some serious hits in the U.S. Supreme Court last month, with justices upholding the legality of the Affordable Care Act - which Republicans have tried to repeal 50 times - and lifting the ban on same-sex marriage.
The right, and the energy industry, did pick up a win with the Supreme Court ruling against new EPA laws on mercury emissions.
The next target, Capito said, is new EPA carbon emission limits which could result in the shuttering of several power plants and increased energy costs while also dealing a severe blow to the coal industry in general.
"We're working tirelessly to bring some common sense to the president's clean power plan," Capito said. "I think the goal of clean air and clean water is something we should keep moving forward. I'd like to take the route of advancing technology so we're not creating a plan that is going to harm, economically, some areas of the country."
"I think you have to take a look at what the Supreme Court did ... states shouldn't have to go forward bearing the cost of a costly EPA regulation if it's unconstitutional. We can't move forward until we have all the legal challenges settled."
The senator pointed to the oft-cited issue that other countries are not slowing their energy production from coal-fired plants.
"Our economic rivals are not held to the same principles ... I see problems all around with that," Capito said.
Capito also touched on the Highway Trust Fund, which has been on the brink of insolvency and has been sustained by last-minute congressional action that has bought the U.S. time but no long-term solution.
"I don't think the states can bear the full brunt of this," she said. "I think it's a federal issue. Maximizing public/private partnerships is something we need to continue to do."
Capito talked about the importance of continuing to expand broadband, high-speed internet access to rural parts of West Virginia in order for the state to keep up in education and economic development.
Overall, she said she has been encouraged by her first six months. Prior to her election last year, Capito had served seven terms in the U.S. House.
"When I asked the people of West Virginia to send me to the Senate I said I wanted to be a more powerful voice for West Virginia but also get things done," Capito said. "I believe we're delivering.”