Utah Senator Votes to Block EPA Rule; Majority of Utah’s Power Comes from Clean, Efficient Coal Fired Power Plants
Calling it a job killer that would increase the price of energy, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today voted to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) from moving forward with its Utility MACT Rule that would greatly increase regulations of coal-fired power plants. The legislation, authored by Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, was defeated.
“Raising energy costs – as the Utility MACT Rule would most certainly do – is a surefire way to kill jobs at a time when we need it the most,” Hatch said. “If the EPA’s rule is allowed to go forward, it jeopardizes our nation’s most affordable, abundant, and dependable domestic source of electricity. Affordable energy has always been the lifeblood of a strong economy, which is one of the key reasons why Utah is such a great state to do business in. That’s why it’s so vital the Utility MACT rule and all job-killing regulations like it be reversed.”
The Utility MACT Rule would significantly increase the restrictions on the amount of mercury and other substances emitted from coal fired power plants, which produce the majority of the power used by Utahns. Hatch was a co-signor of the discharge petition to force today’s disapproval vote.