House Energy Committee report reveals flaws in EPA’s Clean Power Plan

The House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Fred Upton (R-Mich.), released a report on Tuesday raising several concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants.

“It seems like the deeper we dig into this proposal, the more problems we uncover,” Upton said. “The administration is trying to push through an unprecedented plan that will fundamentally change the way we generate and consume electricity. And while EPA’s legal authority remains in question, the consequences for consumers and our economy are certain – higher prices, fewer jobs, and reduced reliability.”

Aggressive oversight of the the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, conducted by the Energy and Power Subcommittee, produced five preliminary conclusions. These issues include: legal questions about the scope of the EPA’s authority to regulate in this area; how the plan alters federal and state decision-making concerning the transmission and delivery of electric power in the United States; the revelation that many assumptions in the EPA’s proposed “building blocks” are unrealistic; the potential incompatibility with many states because of a host of implementation challenges; and the accelerated timeline for completion of the plan, which appears inadequate to respond fully to all of the issues.

“We have conducted extensive oversight of this proposal,” Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) said. “Our work is not finished. EPA has not provided the true cost and consequences of its clean power plan, nor have they adequately explained how the agency will address the myriad of legal and feasibility issues.”

Upton echoed Whitfield.

“A runaway regulatory train is barreling toward us, and we must do everything we can to stop it,” Upton said.