Congress: Give Us the Right Tool for the Job: EPA aims to use a hammer for a screwdriver’s job

By Glenn English, NRECA CEO

The federal Clean Air Act was passed to control specific pollutants on a local scale. But in 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the term “pollutant” in the Clean Air Act could include carbon dioxide, and required the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “make the call” on whether or not to clarify carbon as a threat.

One of the main authors of the most recent version of the Clean Air Act, U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), warned that using the Act to regulate carbon dioxide, which was never considered by Congress, will result in a “glorious mess.”

Ignoring that concern, late last year EPA announced it would include carbon dioxide in a list of pollutants contributing to climate change to be regulated under the Clean Air Act. It seems that “glorious mess” could indeed become a reality.

The Clean Air Act in its modern form was originally passed in 1970 to control harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide on a local and regional level. And in every case where these emissions fell under federal regulation, proven technology existed to address the goals of the legislation.

But when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, no such solution currently exists. Experts estimate at least a decade of research—on a massive scale—on promising technologies like carbon capture and storage must be conducted before a viable approach to limiting carbon dioxide gas from smokestack emissions can be found.

In many ways, regulating carbon dioxide emissions under the law is akin to using a hammer to tighten a screw. You may eventually get the screw hammered in, but better tools are needed―ones that don’t put your electric bills at risk during these tough economic times.

Electric cooperatives have been fighting to make sure any energy or climate change policy remains fair, affordable, and achievable. Much of this effort so far has been focused on legislation being considered by Congress, but the EPA’s actions have opened a new front in the fight.

West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) is asking you to make you voice heard in preventing the EPA from doing something Congress never intended. Reach out to your elected officials in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate and ask them to support fellow members of Congress who are doing important bipartisan work to prevent EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the federal Clean Air Act. Urge them to sign on to the Murkowski-Lincoln resolution (S.J.RES. 26) in the Senate, and the Skelton-Emerson-Peterson bill (H.R. 4572) or Pomeroy bill (H.R. 4396) in the House. Together, we can make a stand that will help ensure an affordable energy future―and prevent an economic train wreck. Visit www.ourenergy.coop today to send that message to Congress.