EPA Never Considers the Costs in Communities Where the Jobs Are Lost

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, today in a Fox News interview said that new rules released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fail to take into account the number of jobs that would be lost and the effect the rules would have on the reliability of electricity delivery.

"We do know that that there will be a significant loss of jobs because many coal power plants are going to be closed as a result of this regulation," said Whitfield during his live interview. "EPA never considers the costs in the communities where the jobs are lost."

BACKGROUND: Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a controversial new rule affecting the power plants that supply electricity to American families and businesses. Known as the utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology Rule, or Utility MACT rule, it represents one of several new rules that impose billions of dollars of new costs and complex regulatory requirements on America's power sector and threatens affordable and reliable electricity. EPA estimates the rule will cost $9.6 billion annually. Rules such as this from EPA could have a devastating effect on many of the jobs tied directly and indirectly to Kentucky's coal industry.

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