U.S. Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Judiciary committees, earlier this week outlined her concerns with the troubling trend of regulatory overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Her comments were made during a speech on the House floor in support of the pending Ratepayer Protection Act, a bipartisan bill that would protect states and consumers from EPA regulatory overreach and the resulting higher electricity bills.
“Last June, the EPA proposed a rule for existing power plants, known as the ‘Clean Power Plan,’ ” Walters explained. “This rule would mandate new carbon reduction goals for each state – effectively changing the way electricity is generated, distributed, and consumed in the United States. The economic impact of this rule is very troubling – it could mean increased electricity costs and reduced reliability for consumers. In fact, under the Clean Power Plan, electricity rates would increase by an average of 15 percent in a majority of states.”
The Ratepayer Protection Act passed in the House by a vote of 247-180 and now awaits a full review by the U.S. Senate.
“This bill would protect ratepayers and exempt states from complying with the rule until all judicial reviews are complete,” Walters added. “It would also allow governors to opt out of compliance with the rule if there would be a significant impact on the state’s ratepayers. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan, commonsense bill.”