Small Business Urges Bipartisan Disapproval of Power Plant Rule

Date: November 30, 2015

NFIB: EPA can predict higher costs but not lower temperatures. So... why are we doing this?

Washington,
DC (November 30, 2015)
The National
Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB)
today urged members of the House on both sides to disapprove the centerpiece of
President Obama’s climate change agenda because according to his own
administration it will definitely drive up electricity bills and it will have a
negligible impact on the climate.

“It’s
the most expensive talking point in history,” said NFIB Vice President Amanda Austin
“Everyone including the EPA predicts higher electricity bills but no
one, including the EPA, can say whether or by how much it will affect climate
change.” 

The
House is expected this week to vote on a congressional resolution disapproving
the so-called Clean Power Rule.  Under
the rule, approved by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)
this year, states will be required to reduce emissions
from coal-based sources by 32 percent by 2030. 
The effect will be to shut down coal-fired power plants that currently
provide most of the country’s electricity. 

The
result, according to the EPA and the energy industry, will be to drive up the
cost of electricity as providers are forced to spend billions on alternative
technologies.  But as Austin explained,
small businesses and their local customers are extremely sensitive to higher
electricity bills.

“For
every dollar more that small businesses have to spend on electric bills they
are a dollar less profitable.  It also
drives down sales because their customers have less money to spend on their
products and services,” she said.   

The
President views the Clean Power Plan as the main component of his strategy for
preventing global warming.  Here, for
example,
on the
White House website
, the President says in a video message that the regulation
is “the biggest step we’ve ever taken to combat climate change.”  So by what measure will the regulation reduce
the Earth’s temperatures and prevent climate change?  Well, he doesn’t say.  Neither does EPA Administrator Gina
McCarthy. 

In
fact, in testimony before a House committee this year McCarthy was asked
whether the regulation will reduce or prevent climate change.  Here’s how
Politifact reports
the exchange:

McCarthy responded by
saying that the value of the plan can’t be measured that way. She said that
while the plan mandates carbon emission reductions in the United States, it
also aims to prod other nations to reduce their emissions and to trigger
investment in technological innovations that also will reduce emissions.

The
value of the plan is “in showing strong domestic action, which can
actually trigger global action,” McCarthy said. “(I’m) not
disagreeing that this action in and of itself will not make all the difference
we need to address climate action. But what I’m saying is if don’t take action
domestically, we will never get started.”

In other words, the main reason for imposing billions of
dollars in new costs on power companies, which will naturally be passed on to
small businesses and consumers, is to make a political point. 

“That’s just not a good enough reason,” said Austin.  “There’s not a business in America that would
make an investment like that without having at least a rational basis on which
to expect a return.  The Administration
doesn’t even predict that its main investment on climate change will affect
climate change.”

Recently the Senate approved the resolution of disapproval
with bipartisan support.  The House should
do the same, according to Austin, in order to send a message to the President
that the cost of electricity isn’t a partisan issue.  NFIB today sent a letter to every member of
the House letting them know that the measure will be a Key Vote this session
for small business.

“Voters in every district in both parties will pay for this
and millions of small businesses are among them,” she said.  “If the Administration cannot reliably assure
Congress that its plan for climate change will have a meaningful effect on
climate change, then Congress has an obligation to reject it.”  

For more information
about NFIB please visit www.nfib.com.

 

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