Johnson: New Congress Will Fight Against War on Coal

Press Release

Rep. Bill Johnson says a GOP-led Congress will pressure President Barack Obama to scrap anti-coal regulations championed by the Environmental Protection Agency - and if that doesn't work, members will take action to pull the agency's funding.

"I can believe that with a senate majority leader from Kentucky and a speaker of the House from Ohio - both large coal-producing states - we will see stopping the war on coal as a major agenda item," said Johnson, R-Ohio. "And I plan to continue a leadership role in that. We can ask the president to stop the EPA. And if he doesn't want to do that ... now that we control both the House and the Senate, we also control the purse strings. We can stop the funding to implement onerous rules."

The EPA has proposed a rule designed to cut carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal plants by as much as 30 percent by 2030, based on 2005 levels. Opponents to the regulations say they will bring about the closure of existing coal-fired power plants, higher electric bills and layoffs in the coal industry.

The House has passed bills to stop the rule from going into effect, but these have not been picked up in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Voters this week, though, elected enough Republican Senate candidates across the nation to give control of both the House and Senate to the GOP.

Johnson said Republicans shouldn't bask in the victory, but work with Democrats to seek solutions to the nation's problems.

"This is certainly no time to be spiking the ball in the end zone," he said. "We want to reject those who want to divide, accept those who want to rekindle spirit of American ingenuity. I believe there are people on both sides of the aisle (who believe in working together), and the president will see the wisdom in doing that himself. ... Who knows? Depending on whether the president sticks to his word and abides by the message of the American people, the regulations could be abolished. We will certainly will put legislation on his desk. We will see if he makes this more difficult."

Johnson will start his third term in January.

"The American people have said the policies of Obama are moving the country in the wrong direction, and that we need to turn it around and get back in chance with the American people," Johnson said. "We need to come together for the people, and not have a divisive argument. We need to achieve policy where everyone can walk away a winner."

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