State Factor: States are Engaging EPA on Clean Power Plan

Much has been written in this space recently about the impacts of EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan.

There are, of course, financial concerns about the effects of the Plan on electricity rates, gross domestic product, employment and disposable income. There are also reliability concerns, specifically having to do with the amount of strain placed onto the grid if significant amounts of baseload power is retired prematurely and not adequately replaced. There are also concerns about the relationship states will now have with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) given that the agency is now regulating areas it never has before (i.e., measures beyond the proverbial “fence line”).

Today, ALEC released its latest State Factor titled “States are Engaging EPA on Clean Power Plan.” This short white paper, written by three legislators representing three unique states across the country, details many of their concerns with the proposed rule as written. The paper also highlights some of the efforts being made by state policymakers in response to the proposed rule.

This paper follows the recent adoption of the model Resolution Concerning EPA’s Proposed Guidelines for Existing Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants, which encourages state policymakers to (1) submit public comments to EPA regarding the proposed rule; (2) to develop state implementation plans (SIPs) in ways that protect residential, industrial and commercial electricity users and (3) to engage with EPA and other federal agencies to minimize many of the financial and reliability risks noted above and in the State Factor.