A group of Senate Democrats is calling on the Obama administration to amend proposed emissions standards for new power plants, saying the regulations, as currently drafted, would devastate the coal industry in their home states.
Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) are asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider provisions holding new coal-fired plants to the same standards as gas-fired plants.
“Such a requirement is unprecedented under the Clean Air Act and will have the unfortunate effect of preventing the construction of new coal plants or the upgrading of existing sources,” the group wrote in a letter to President Obama. “We urge you to consider an alternative approach.”
The lawmakers described the administration’s proposed rules as an executive “overreach.”
Republicans have relentlessly criticized the Obama administration for going too far and hampering business with its regulatory authority, but the harsh words from Democrats underscore broadly held concerns over the emissions rules.