U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today praised the actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to repeal and replace the Clean Power Plan (CPP) with the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule.
“The new ACE plan is great news for Montana’s rural communities,” Daines said. “The Obama EPA Power Plan would have wiped out Colstrip immediately, killing high paying jobs, local and state tax revenue that helps pay for our schools, and affordable reliable energy that keeps the lights on. This ACE Rule would instead provide flexibility to states and power plants to innovate to reduce pollution rather than eliminating coal fired generation with heavy mandates from Washington. I thank the Trump administration for taking this leadership.”
Pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order 13873, which directed Federal agencies to review burdensome regulations, the EPA undertook a review of the CPP. Many believed the CPP exceeded EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act, which is why 27 states, including Montana, 24 trade associations, 37 rural electric co-ops, and three labor unions challenged the rule. Additionally, the Supreme Court issued an unprecedented stay of the rule.
The ACE rule establishes emission guidelines for states to use when developing plans to limit carbon dioxide (CO2) at coal-fired power plants. ACE identifies heat rate improvements as the “best system of emission reduction” for CO2. These improvements can be made at individual facilities.
A link to the finalized Affordable Clean Energy Rule and Fact Sheets can be found HERE.
Statements of Support:
“I applaud the new ACE proposal that will provide incentive energy innovation instead of killing jobs like we would have seen under the Clean Power Plan. We appreciate Senator Daines and his support for the hard working men, women, and families here in Colstrip.” – John Williams, Mayor of Colstrip
“Rosebud County Commissioners would like to acknowledge the work Steve Daines has been doing towards loosening some of the reins that put too strict of requirements on our local power plants. Our plants already meet all requirements that have been asked for and further requirements are just an outright burden. We need to keep affordable, clean and dependable energy on our markets, along with keeping our high paying jobs. Coal keeps our state running and financially stable.” – Bob Lee, Doug Martens, and Ed Joiner, Rosebud County Commisioners
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