CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — A new bill in Congress aims to stop the closing of coal-fired power plants across the nation, including many in our region.
The bill now has sponsors in both the House and the Senate. This is another battle between the unelected Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the elected members of Congress.
There are 224 coal-fired power plants in the U.S., but there could be fewer, if the federal EPA has its way. The agency is changing its rules to say that all coal-fired plants must convert to natural gas, nuclear, carbon capture, or another clean energy source by some time in the next decade, or they must close.
In response, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) have filed a bill, that basically says only an elected Congress should be making these rules.
“The way to really close down the regulatory overreach that we that we see in this administration, in every aspect of our lives is to legislate it out, and say, ‘You can’t do this!'” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, (R) West Virginia.
The U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on a similar case before, under the so-called “Green Power Plan.” The case was, West Virginia versus the EPA, and the state won. Justices ruled that unelected bureaucrats in the federal agency, could not overrule the will of Congress, which is elected by the people.
Many of the remaining coal-fired plants are in the Tri-State region. There are nine in West Virginia, seven in Kentucky, and six in Ohio.