Leading Bipartisan Voices on Energy Policy Introduce Energy Tax Prevention Act

Press Release

Republican and Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday introduced the Energy Tax Prevention Act (H.R. 910), a bill to block EPA's controversial backdoor climate change agenda that would further drive up the price of energy for American consumers and job creators at a time when gas prices are already spiking and job creation remains weak. The bill is narrowly drawn to clarify the EPA's authority under the Clean Air Act, preserving the law's important and longstanding functions to reduce air pollution.

Introducing the bill was Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Nick Rahall (D-WV), and Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), in addition to others.

"Whether at the pump or on their monthly utility bills, American families, farmers, and employers feel the pinch when energy prices go up. The very last thing the federal government should do is make matters worse by intentionally driving up the cost of energy. Yet that is exactly what's in store if the EPA moves forward with its plans to regulate and penalize carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act," said Chairman Upton.

"The EPA is pursuing a dramatic shift in our nation's energy and environmental policy that would send shock waves through our economy," said Chairman Whitfield. "Setting the course of our energy policy is the job of Congress, not a single federal agency acting without authority. The Energy Tax Prevention Act is a sensible, straightforward plan to end the uncertainty and economic threat posed by the EPA's climate change agenda."

"The EPA needs to be reined in. If Congress does not do something about the regulations being imposed on our farmers, ranchers and rural communities, the economic effects could be devastating. This is the last thing we need when our economy is beginning to show signs of recovery," said Ranking Member Peterson.

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