AUSTIN – Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott met with Senators John Cornyn (TX-R) and Ted Cruz (TX-R) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in Washington D.C. to discuss pushing back against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan, which is a sweeping assertion of federal power over states to radically overhaul the entire system of electric power. The EPA’s rule would force the state of Texas to change its law to comply with a federal regulation that violates federal law as well as the U.S. and Texas constitutions.
“There are few more important issues facing America today than the specter of federal misgovernance that kills jobs, hurts communities, and deprives families of their dreams,” said TPPF President and CEO Brooke Rollins. “The EPA’s Clean Power Plan does all three with its combination of illegal overreach and economic malpractice. We commend Governor Abbott, Senator Cornyn, Senator Cruz, and Senator McConnell for their willingness to stand together against one of Washington, D.C.’s worst ideas.”
“TPPF applauds today’s meeting of Governor Greg Abbott, Senators Cornyn and Cruz as well as Majority Leader McConnell to discuss the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which represents a takeover of the electric power sector in Texas and all other states,” said TPPF Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment the Honorable Kathleen Hartnett White. “Far exceeding the legal authority that Congress has delegated to the EPA, this power plan would set the U.S. on an even more aggressive path to reduce CO2 than has been taken by some European countries where electric prices are two to three times higher than the average U.S. rate. TPPF is grateful that our state and national leaders together recognize the necessity of resisting EPA’s rogue energy plan.”
“When our leaders in Washington get together with the Governor to talk it is obvious that they recognize the serious nature of the threat from EPA’s Clean Power Plan,” said TPPF Fueling Freedom Project Director Doug Domenech. “Texas is being unfairly targeted by EPA and the losers will be every home, every business, every school, university, fire and police station. Everyone will be forced to pay more for electricity and every town and municipality will be forced to cut services or raise taxes to pay their bill.”
The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently released a paper by White entitled The Facts About the Clean Power Plan.
Brooke Rollins is President and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Honorable Kathleen Hartnett White is Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment. She is also former Chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (2001-2007).
The Honorable Doug Domenech is Director of the Fueling Freedom Project at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Domenech most recently served as Secretary of Natural Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia and served as White House Liaison and deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.