FreedomWorks Stands with Senator Inhofe Against the EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency, a favorite tool of Obama’s job crushing agenda, continuously promulgates unilateral rules and regulations that ultimately threaten entire industries in the United States and push consumer prices constantly higher. Most notably, the EPA’s recent regulatory onslaught is targeting energy by way of new restrictions on fossil fuels, which will increase prices, reduce the reliability of the nation’s electricity grid, and destroy jobs. One especially dangerous EPA regulation is the Utility Maximum Available Control Technology (MACT) rule, which has the potential to cripple the American coal industry and deal a critical blow to the fragile American economy by way of skyrocketing energy costs.



However, yesterday in Washington, freedom struck first. Senator James Inhofe (R) of Oklahoma, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, introduced Senate Joint Resolution 37.  This resolution of disapproval filed under the Congressional Review Act that, passed with a simple majority vote in the Senate, would stop the utility MACT before it does any harm and would challenge the EPA’s assault on the economy and jobs.


The Utility MACT would tie the hands of energy providers and force them into investments in excess of $350 billion industry wide just to reach 90 percent compliance with the rule.¹ These costs will drive energy costs higher for many Americans, but will have an especially harsh impact on the Midwest and lower income households. Households making less than $50,000 a year already pay roughly 21 percent of their after-tax incomes on energy costs and the Utility MACT could elevate costs by at least $10 billion annually by 2016.² The massive costs of compliance could also force almost 15 gigawatts off of the electricity grid, laying off thousands directly, millions indirectly and threatening the reliability of electricity.³



The EPA must be prevented from passing outlandish rules that threaten countless jobs across many industries while providing few environmental benefits.  The EPA has many rules similar in nature ready to follow the Utility MACT, which is why the precedent must be set at zero tolerance for dangerous rules issued by the Obama EPA.



Call your Senator and demand that they stand with Senator Inhofe in support of Senate Joint Resolution 37 and stop the EPA’s assault on American jobs and affordable, reliable American energy.



Read Senator Inhofe’s press release HERE.


¹EPA’s Regulatory Train Wreck: Strategies for State Legislators, American Legislative Exchange Council
²ACCCE Energy Cost Impacts on American Families, 2001-2012, ACCCE Utility MACT Rule (See Attached)
³EPA’s Regulatory Train Wreck: Strategies for State Legislators, American Legislative Exchange Council & Press Release on Senate Joint Resolution 37 Inhofe Introduces Measure to Stop One of Obama-EPA’s Most Expensive Rules