WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA et. al.:
“The Court took an important step today to help ensure the EPA takes into account the true cost of excessive regulations on the American people, their jobs and their livelihoods. This rule is just one of the numerous burdensome regulations the Obama administration has cooked up that has the potential to eliminate good paying jobs and devastate the livelihoods of hardworking American families.
“But while today’s ruling is welcome news, Montanans have already seen the real impact of these regulations hit home—jobs have been lost and the Corrette Power Plant in Billings has recently shuttered its doors. I’ll continue to fight the President’s war on energy and work toward long-lasting solutions that protect Montanans from overreaching and costly regulations.”
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) has already had a direct and lasting impact on Montana’s economy. In February, the J.E. Corette coal-fired power plant in Billings, Montana shuttered its doors as a direct result of costly compliance requirements.
In addition to supporting 30 jobs, the Corette power plant contributed several million dollars in tax revenue to Montana and Yellowstone County every year.
PPL made the decision in 2012 to mothball the Corette plant, which allowed the company to retain the option to restart plant operations at a future date. According to PPL, the estimated costs of upgrades required to make the plant compliant with the MATS regulations has increased significantly since 2012, which led to the company’s decision to permanently retire the plant in August.
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