McKinley: America Will Lose Under Obama Carbon Plan

Statement

Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-W. Va.) issued the following statement on the Obama Administration's EPA rule to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal power plants:

"For President Obama's climate change policies to work, the rest of the world would need to be in lockstep with us. While he may be able to circumvent Congress, issue executive orders, and use regulatory agencies to accomplish his goal at home, this authority doesn't extend to the rest of the world. Countries like China and India are not following the same path.

"Four years ago, when Democrats controlled the Senate, a similar policy was roundly rejected. Now, with President Obama concerned about his legacy, he is trying to use the EPA to achieve what Congress rejected. This narcissistic move will sacrifice our economy in pursuit of a radical solution.

"The Administration would have you believe this policy can only benefit America. Nothing is further from the truth. Hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans will lose their jobs. Seniors on fixed incomes will be paying more for electricity. Manufacturers will move jobs off shore. States like West Virginia will bear the brunt of the impact and our economy will suffer.

"Who will benefit? It will be China, India, Germany, and the rest of the world's countries who will continue to utilize affordable power from coal, and will soon surpass the carbon reduction America achieves. At the end of the day America will be weaker.

"The same Administration that brought us the failed Obamacare website, claims backlogs at the Veterans Administration, and foreign policy failures, apparently believes it can control the world's weather. This type of delusional thinking will not be a laughing matter for the families who will lose their jobs.

"Instead of killing jobs, raising electric bills, and crushing our economy, we need to look at other options, like investing in research on carbon capture and increasing efficiency."

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