National Mining Association (NMA) President and CEO Hal Quinn urged prompt passage of Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield’s (R-Ky.) “Ratepayer Protection Act,” pending before the House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee, which would place ultimate responsibility for state economies and power grids directly with the nation’s governors:
“The Ratepayer Protection Act under consideration by the House Energy & Commerce Committee would save the nation’s electric grid from collapse and spare Americans from the more expensive energy future experts forecast under EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan.
“Chairman Whitfield’s bill will allow governors to assess the impact of EPA’s costly power plan on the cost and reliability of their state’s electricity system, and then empower governors to opt out of participating without the threat of EPA commandeering the state’s electric grid.
“The fact that at least 40 states face double digit increases in electricity rates under EPA’s rule no doubt explains why most of them have urged the federal agency to withdraw the rule. We commend Chairman Whitfield and the co-sponsors of the bill for ensuring that governors are allowed to make the decision in the best interest of their states, not the EPA.”