Ernst Works to Stop Biden Admin from Crushing Small Biz, Raising Energy Costs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business Committee, and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, are calling on the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider proposed regulations for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new and existing power plants and address issues raised in the Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) panel in regards to how the regulations would damage small businesses and raise American energy costs.

The lawmakers wrote, “The regulatory decisions the EPA makes now will determine if there are enough resources to meet tomorrow’s energy needs. We must recognize the need for time and technology development before taking our nation down an energy path that prioritizes speed over practicality. It is also imperative that the EPA follow the law on these proposed regulations and SBAR panel, not only to hear directly from but to actively consider and respond accordingly to the unique impacts it will have on small electric utilities as they maintain electric reliability and affordability.”

“We urge the EPA to ensure that the findings of the SBAR panel and comments on the recommended regulatory alternatives are fully addressed and accounted for prior to its final rulemaking. It is critical that the EPA alleviate the concerns raised by affected small entities and consider the unique impacts these proposed regulations will have on small electric utilities as they maintain electric reliability and affordability.”

Read the letter here.

Background:

In August 2023, Ernst and Capito demanded that Biden’s EPA rescind its proposed rule that increases burdensome and costly GHG requirements on small businesses. 

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