The UMACT and You: What the Costliest Rule in EPA History Means for Americans

The EPA’s Utility MACT rule—the costliest rule ever issued by the agency—is a key component of the administration’s War on Coal. Despite the fact that coal is the mainstay of electricity generation, the Obama administration is adopting policies that favor more expensive and less reliable sources of energy, such as wind and solar power.  This campaign against fossil fuels can and will hamper innovation and development in the nation’s energy markets, harming consumers and the economy as a whole.

The Utility MACT will have devastating effects on American industries and the already pressed pocketbooks of American consumers.  Not only will the Utility MACT lead to 1.65 million jobs lost by 2020 and the elimination of a new sector of energy through shale oil, but it will also cost Americans  anywhere from a 10 percent to 19 percent increase in their energy bills.  The Midwest, with its greater reliance on coal for electricity generation will be particularly hard hit.

These new regulations are so complex that many companies are finding it to be too costly to comply and are simply shutting down; there have already been 32 coal-fired plant closings across the country, enough to power 22 million homes.  The Utility MACT is estimated to retire 25,000 megawatts of power by 2015, threatening the reliability America’s power grid.  Many states already face brownouts during extreme heat and this is occurring even before power is being removed from the grid.  The Utility MACT provides no direction on how to replace the power that will be taken off the grid due to an inability to comply with the regulations, making rolling blackouts a real possibility. 

There is something that you can do to stop the passing of this expensive regulation! Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma has introduced S.J Res. 37, a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, to reject the EPA’s Utility MACT rule.  This joint resolution is expected to be coming to a vote in the next few weeks. Call your senators today and tell them to vote for S.J Res. 37 and put a stop to the EPA’s war on American energy.