U.S. Senators John Boozman and Shelley Moore Capito have led a group of Republican colleagues in expressing support for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin’s efforts to repeal the Biden-Harris administration’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 regulations. The senators sent a letter to Administrator Zeldin, arguing that the proposed power plant standards threaten energy reliability in the United States by encouraging policy-driven retirements of power plants.
The letter emphasizes that repealing these regulations is necessary for American energy providers to maintain affordable and reliable utility services for communities and businesses. The senators also contend that the Biden-Harris regulations exceed the EPA’s authority and disregard the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA, supporting the agency’s move to repeal as both reasonable and justified.
“Our nation currently needs more reliable and affordable electricity to power our economy, maintain our economic competitiveness, and win the Artificial Intelligence race. The current regulations – that your proposal will repeal – put us at risk by exacerbating electric reliability threats and spiking energy costs borne by American families and businesses,” wrote the senators.
They further stated, “The repeal of these standards is the first step on a path to improved energy affordability and securing the reliability of our electric grid. We appreciate your leadership to restore American energy dominance and we request the EPA expeditiously finalize the proposed rule as a central effort to achieve that goal.”
All Republican members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee joined Boozman and Capito in signing the letter, including Senators Kevin Cramer, Cynthia Lummis, John Curtis, Lindsey Graham, Dan Sullivan, Pete Ricketts, Roger Wicker, and Jon Husted.
The full text of their letter can be accessed online.
