The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) praised the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, which replaces the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP).

“The EPA’s proposal to replace the Obama Administration’s so-called Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule is a significant step towards reversing one of the most costly, burdensome, and ineffective regulations issued by the previous administration. It marks a return to sanity and to the rule of law when it comes to environmental regulations,” said Chairman Smith.

The CPP was a dramatic overreach of federal authority under the Clean Air Act, which did not grant EPA the authority to regulate the electric grid.  The CPP would have cost billions of dollars, caused financial hardship for American families, and diminished the competitiveness of American employers, all while having no significant benefit to climate change. The EPA’s own data at the time showed that this regulation would have reduced sea level rise by only 1/100th of an inch, or the thickness of three sheets of paper. 

The EPA’s new proposal establishes emission guidelines for states and allows states to construct diverse, reliable energy portfolios driven by technology and innovation, rather than bureaucratic overreach. This approach empowers states to reduce emissions and provide modern, reliable power at an affordable cost.

“I am glad to see that President Trump and the EPA are following through on the promise made to the American people to reverse this harmful, short-sighted, and politically motivated rule and replace it with a common-sense approach based on sound science,” Smith said.