For once it wasn’t all talk.
(DC) — After weeks of talk, legislation was introduced into the House and Senate Thursday afternoon to repeal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations of greenhouse gases, or what proponents are calling “backdoor cap-and-trade.” The Energy Tax Prevention Act clarifies the EPA’s authority to regulate gases like carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, along with Republican Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, among others. It even had at least two Democratic co-sponsors — Reps. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Nick Rahall of West Virginia.
The companion bill in the Senate was introduced by Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, ranking member on the Committee on Environment and Public Works. The Senate version has 42 co-sponsors, all Republican.
“Whether at the pump or on their monthly utility bills, American families, farmers, and employers feel the pinch when energy prices go up,” said Upton in a statement. “The very last thing the federal government should do is make matters worse by intentionally driving up the cost of energy. Yet that is exactly what’s in store if the EPA moves forward with its plans to regulate and penalize carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act,”
“The EPA needs to be reined in. If Congress does not do something about the regulations being imposed on our farmers, ranchers and rural communities, the economic effects could be devastating,” added Peterson.