Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on Wednesday that the Electricity Security and Affordability Act would advance an “all-of-the-above” energy policy.
Sens. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) introduced the bill as an alternative to new greenhouse gas emission standards proposed by the EPA for new power plants under the Clean Air Act. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee began debate on the legislation on Wednesday.
“This debate is vitally important today because the president is going so fast in such an extreme way that will make it impossible to use coal in America with a new plant, and we have never had a national debate about the issue,” Whitfield said. “It’s a very a simple piece of legislation, one that I think is necessary to protect the American people and ensure that America remains competitive in the global marketplace.”
Upton, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, applauded Whitfield and Manchin for working together on the legislation.
“Today we continue our pursuit of an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy, taking up legislation to address EPA’s pending greenhouse gas rules for power plants, the latest threat by the Obama administration to affordable and reliable energy,” Upton said. “…(This) legislation is a good faith effort that requires a critical check on EPA’s misuse of the Clean Air Act to try to accomplish through regulation what was rejected in Congress through legislation.”