01.21.16

Senator McConnell Applauds Governor Bevin’s Decision to Seek Extension on EPA Regulation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented today regarding Governor Matt Bevin’s request for a 2-year extension to the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation that requires states to dramatically restructure their electricity systems based on how the agency thinks electricity should be produced and used in each state.

 “I applaud Governor Bevin for filing an extension and refusing to submit a plan until the legal challenges are addressed,” Senator McConnell said. “He made the right decision to not saddle Kentucky with an Obama administration plan that is likely illegal and extremely detrimental to Kentucky’s economy.”

BACKGROUND: In 2015, Senator McConnell wrote the Nation’s Governors calling on them to reject the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed regulation that requires states to dramatically restructure their electricity systems based on how the agency thinks electricity should be produced and used in each state. Senator McConnell asked the Governors to “carefully review the consequences before signing up for this deeply misguided plan.

 Senator McConnell wrote: “This proposed plan is already on shaky legal grounds, will be extremely burdensome and costly, and will not seriously address the global environmental concerns that are frequently raised to justify it. Moreover, declining to go along with the administration’s legally dubious plan will give the other two branches of government time to address the proposal and will not put your state at risk in the interim. It will provide time for the courts to rule on whether the EPA’s proposed rule is legal, and it will give Congress a chance to address numerous concerns surrounding this latest power grab by the EPA.”

 The full text of Senate Majority Leader McConnell’s letter is HERE.

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Related Issues: Energy, Regulations, EPA