Press Releases
Congressman Jason Smith Statement on the Proposed EPA Greenhouse Gas RuleAfter submitting comments yesterday to the Environmental Protection Agency challenging a proposed rule to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, Congressman Jason Smith (R-Salem, MO) issued the following statement: “This rule could mean crippling price increases for electricity and a destabilization of our nation’s power grid,” said Congressman Smith. “More than being just another ill-conceived regulation that industry leaders oppose, this is an unprecedented expansion of the EPA’s rulemaking authority, and I am adamantly opposed to it.” Congressman Smith continued, “The House has passed bills to nullify, delay, defund, and cancel these regulations. Only Congress should make these significant policy changes, and this is another example of the Obama administration’s ongoing executive overreach.” Missouri’s 8th Congressional District receives over 84 percent of its electricity from coal-fired power plants. A recent study by Energy Ventures Analysis found “the typical household’s annual electricity and natural gas bills would increase by $680, or 35 percent, from 2012 compared to 2020, escalating each year thereafter as EPA regulations grow more stringent.” The congressman’s entire letter to the EPA can be found on his website here. ### |