The US House of Representatives will soon vote on H.R. 2042, the “Ratepayer Protection Act”, introduced by Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.). This legislation is in response to the planned EPA rule known as the “Clean Power Plan.” If this plan goes into effect, it will place unnecessary burdens on businesses and households, cause higher electricity prices, and reduce reliability of electricity. ATR urges all members of Congress to support the Ratepayer Protection Act and protect families and businesses from this unnecessary regulation.
If the EPA’s rule is implemented, consumers across the country will face higher energy costs because of the agency’s stubborn determination to impose unrealistic regulatory requirements on existing power plants across America. The Ratepayer Protection Act is a common-sense solution that extends the EPA’s compliance deadlines until after judicial review is completed. In addition, the legislation states that a governor would not be forced to implement a compliance plan if it is found to have a significant adverse effect on ratepayers or energy reliability.
Already, state and federal regulators, governors, and electric reliability authorities have raised concerns about the negative impact this rule will have. They fear that the EPA’s rule has countless legal flaws, reliability concerns and will cause economic hardship to ratepayers. In fact, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, an independent watchdog, recently released a report which found that complying with this regulation would require a “transformative shift” in the nation’s energy infrastructure. In addition, the report found that the EPA’s current timeframe for implementing these changes are entirely unfeasible.
This legislation will provide much needed protection to ratepayers and will help address many of the problems associated with the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. ATR fully supports the Ratepayer Protection Act and urges all members of Congress to vote for this legislation.