Mobile Courant

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and other Senate colleagues in presenting a formal challenge to the Biden administration’s regulations on American power plants through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval. The senators argue that the final rule jeopardizes the security of the electric grid and impedes America’s future power capacity.

The resolution follows the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) issuance of final rules imposing stringent emissions requirements on existing coal-fired power plants and newly constructed gas-fired power plants. Critics claim this move aims to force the closure of these plants, which provide baseload electricity, despite a previous Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA overturning similar measures under President Obama.

“Joe Biden seems to think he’s above the law,” said Senator Tuberville. “This outrageous rule violates a Supreme Court ruling and goes well beyond what Congress has allowed. It shuts down coal and gas-powered plants and increases energy costs for all Americans. This is the exact opposite of what we need right now. We need to unleash American energy production, not strangle it with regulations that have no basis in either law or science.”

Senator Tuberville was joined by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford(R-OK ), Mike Lee(R -UT ), Cynthia Lummis(R -WY ), Joe Manchin(I -WV ), Roger Marshall(R -KS ), Markwayne Mullin(R -OK ), Lisa Murkowski(R -AK ), Pete Ricketts(R -NE ), Jim Risch(R -ID ), Mike Rounds(R -SD ), Marco Rubio(R -FL ), Eric Schmitt(R -MO ), Rick Scott( R-FL ) , Tim Scott( R-SC ) , Dan Sullivan( R-AK ) , John Thune( R-SD ) , Thom Tillis( R-NC ) , J.D . Vance( R-OH ) , Roger Wicker( R-MS ) , and Todd Young( R-IN ).

The legislation is supported by numerous organizations including National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, US Chamber of Commerce, National Mining Association, National Association of Manufacturers, America’s Power, American Chemistry Council, Industrial Energy Consumers of America, American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, American Iron and Steel Institute, American Forest and Paper Association, Western Energy Alliance, American Coal Council, Energy Policy Network, Reliable Energy Inc., Women’s Mining Coalition, West Virginia Manufacturers Association, Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia(WVMA) , Ohio Chamber of Commerce , Ohio’ s Electric Cooperatives , Ohio Manufacturers Association , Ohio Independent Power Producers , Ohio Oil and Gas Association(PCA) Montana Coal Council(TMC) Texas Mining Association(TMA) Utah Mining Association Kentucky Coal Association Illinois Coal Association Wyoming MiningAssociation Rocky MountainMiningInstituteAmericanElectricPowerBuckeyePower DukeEnergyPBF EnergySouthDakotaPublicUtilitiesCommissionCompetitiveEnterpriseInstituteCitizensforResponsibleEnergySolutionsInstituteforEnergyResearchPowertheFutureHeritageActionConservativePoliticalActionCoalitionAmericansforProsperityAmericanEnergyInstituteAmericanConsumerInstituteAmericansforTaxReformALECActionTaxpayersProtectionAllianceSmallBusiness&EntrepreneurshipCouncil

In June 2022,the SupremeCourt ruled againsttheEPA intheWestVirginia v.EPAcase,sayingtheagencyoversteppeditslegalauthorityonamajorquestionwithoutdirectionbyCongress.InMay2023,theEPAdisregardedthisrulingandproposedanewrulecallingforashiftfromfossil-fuelpowertoothertypesofenergy.Theproposedruleidentifiesa"bestsystemofemissionreduction"andimposesstrictcarboncaptureandsequestrationinitiativesthatarefeasibleormaintainable.Itwoulddeteriorateelectricityreliabilityatimewhenourenergygridisalreadystrugglingtomeetdemand.InAugust2023SenatorTubervillejoinedhiscolleaguesinasendingalettertoEPAAdministratorMichaelReganrequestingthewithdrawaloftheproposedrule.

Full text of the Senate resolution can be found here.