Coats, Bipartisan Group Introduce Bill to Roll Back “Clean Power Plan”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.), the chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, today joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce a bill to roll back President Obama’s “Clean Power Plan.” The ARENA Act, which takes into account EPA’s proposed regulations for both new and existing power plants, would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to submit a report to Congress describing the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions the “Clean Power Plan” will reduce. The EPA would also have to conduct modeling to show the impacts of the rule on climate indicators used to develop the rule.

“The Obama Administration’s proposed plan to cut CO2 from new and existing coal-fired power plants will raise the cost of electricity for Hoosier families, farmers and business owners and will degrade grid reliability,” said Coats. “This bill would empower states to protect jobs, wallets and industries from the Obama Administration’s war on coal and ensure the availability of affordable and reliable energy for our communities.”

Key provisions of the bill include:

Preventing mandates for unproven technology: Before EPA can set a technology-based standard for new power plants, the standard must first be achieved for at least one year at several separate power facilities throughout the country. The bill also prevents the EPA from using any demonstration projects –projects that are reliant on federal support – from being used to set the standard.

Extending compliance dates: The bill would extend the rule’s compliance dates pending final judicial review, including the dates for submission of state plans.

Holding EPA accountable: This bill would require EPA to issue state-specific model plans demonstrating how each state could meet the required GHG emissions reductions under the rule.

Enabling states to protect ratepayers: The bill would provide that no state shall be required to implement a state or federal plan that the state’s governor determines would negatively impact economic growth, negatively impact the reliability of the electricity system or negatively impact electricity ratepayers.

Protecting highway fund dollars: The bill would prevent the EPA from withholding highway funds from any states for noncompliance with the “Clean Power Plan.”

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