Fischer and Heitkamp Led a Majority of the Senate in Calling on the EPA to Provide Time to Review Broad Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) today issued the following statements after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) heeded their request to extend the public comment period on the agency’s proposed rule to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants.
The extension period comes on the heels of Fischer and Heitkamp’s effort to lead 53 Senators last week in a bipartisan call for the EPA to provide additional time to allow all stakeholders to fully review and offer comments on its new proposal. Noting the incredibly broad and complex nature of the agency’s new rule, Fischer, Heitkamp, and the other Senators argued that more time was necessary to fully assess issues and coordinate meaningful responses. The Senators released the following statements:
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“It's good for all sides that the EPA listened to the bipartisan group of Senators that Senator Fischer and I led by providing more time to review these complex new rules so states, utilities and others potentially impacted by them can comment on them," said Heitkamp. "We need real, workable solutions for implementing rules that reduce emissions, but do not hinder job growth or the reliability of our electrical system and that recognize the important role of coal-fired power in our generating mix for the foreseeable future. To accomplish that, everyone impacted by the rules should be able to have a say, and this extension helps allow that to happen." In May, Fischer and Heitkamp led 47 Senators in in requesting that the agency grant at least 120 days for public comment on its new proposal on existing power plants. When the 120-day public comment period was granted, the Senators heard immediately from a variety of entities in their states, including utilities, state regulators, regional generation and transmission organizations, and many more. These entities made it known that the rule is more difficult to analyze and assess than they had initially expected. In addition, some of the issues posed by the new rule require discussions and collaboration with a variety of state, regional, and national officials provide accurate and complete comments on the feasibility of the rule and options. Click here to read a full copy of the letter Fischer and Heitkamp sent to McCarthy in May, which was signed by 47 Senators. Click here to read a full copy of the letter Fischer and Heitkamp sent to McCarthy last week, which was signed by 53 Senators. |
