WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the following statement pushing back on the Biden administration’s announcement of its Clean Power Plan 2.0.
“The Biden administration is gravely harming Wyoming’s economy and doing very little to work toward actual climate solutions. Enacting standards that are impossible to meet will ultimately shut down coal and natural gas fired power plants, which will destroy good paying, American jobs and increase reliance on our adversaries,” said Senator Lummis. “This makes no sense. It is short-sighted and it directly contradicts the Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia v. EPA. I will not stand for this full-frontal assault on the people of Wyoming.”
For existing coal-fired power plants like the ones operating in Wyoming, the EPA is proposing those in operation beyond 2040 sequester 90% of their carbon emissions. This is an egregiously unrealistic target that is not feasible based on current carbon capture technology.
The EPA’s Clean Power Plan 2.0, announced by Administrator Michael Regan, would:
- Repeal the Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule, which established reasonable emission guidelines for states to use when developing plans to limit carbon dioxide at coal-fired power plants.
- Enact new standards on new and modified fossil-fueled power generation sources (including natural gas) under Section 111(b) of the Clean Air Act, and
- Enacts new standards on existing fossil-fuel power generation sources (including coal and gas plants) under Section 111 (b) of the Clean Air Act.
In West Virginia v. EPA, the Supreme Court struck down the Obama Era Clean Power Plan, holding that Congress did not give the EPA the authority to regulate emissions from existing power plants based on generation shifting mechanisms.
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