Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of Chairman Whitfield's legislation, H.R. 2041, the Ratepayer Protection Act.

This rule, the clean power plan, by the EPA is an unprecedented rule, one that has the potential to devastate Ohio's coal industry. That is the very same industry that employs thousands of people throughout eastern and southeastern Ohio and provides homes and businesses with affordable, reliable electricity.

The Ratepayer Protection Act will stop this devastation. Almost 70 percent of Ohio's electricity today--70 percent of Ohio's electricity--is currently provided by coal. Moreover, coal miners already have a difficult and stressful job as it is. And now, because of the EPA's clean power plan, they will have to worry about whether or not they will even have a job when they show up for work.

The Ratepayer Protection Act is an essential check on the EPA's extreme emission standards. It allows Governors to use common sense to opt their State out of the rule should they determine that it will negatively affect its ratepayers or grid reliability.

The legislation also extends the rule's compliance dates, pending judicial review. That is just common sense, Mr. Chairman, because shouldn't our States have a say in our energy future? Especially when you consider that over 32 States have already raised legal objections to the rule, and 34 have objected to the EPA's rush regulatory timelines.

EPA's carbon emission regulations have already made it economically unfeasible to build a new coal-fired power plant in America. We cannot afford to shut down existing plants and this very important industry as well.

I support the legislation, and I urge my colleagues to.

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