In a comments filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said on Tuesday that constituents in his home state of Missouri would be particularly hard hit by the agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP).
Blunt’s office reports that Missouri relies on coal to power more than 80 percent of its electricity. A study by Energy Venture Analysis estimates that the EPA’s proposed rule would increase Missourians’ annual electric and gas utility bills by $1,000 by 2020. More than half of the families in the state earn less than $50,000 annually and 13 of the state’s rural counties – all served by an electric cooperative – are struck with persistent poverty.
The proposed Clean Power Plan would require power companies to cut their 2005 carbon dioxide emission levels by 30 percent by 2030.
“Missouri electric service providers have warned that the CPP would increase energy costs for Missourians and reduce our state’s economic competitiveness,” Blunt wrote in his comments. “The most vulnerable families and individuals among us are hit the hardest by bad energy policies resulting in high utility bills, because these are the consumers who already spend a significant amount of their disposable income on energy.”
Blunt requested that the EPA conduct a full analysis of the effects of new power plant regulations, particularly on low-income areas, before moving forward with its Clean Power Plan.