Recently, I visited the South Central Power Company in Hillsboro, where the EPA was a hot topic of discussion. Particularly troubling for South Central Power is the new EPA rule regulating carbon emissions for power plants across the country.
 
The Obama Administration has pushed numerous policies aimed at reducing the use of coal over the last several years. These policies have come at a high price and threaten reliable energy diversity in Ohio. Under the EPA’s power plant and air emission regulations, power plants must cut carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2030 when compared to 2005 levels. Just last week, Duke Energy was forced to retire the remaining coal-fire units in the W.C. Beckjord Station in Clermont County in response to “increasingly stringent regulations” by the EPA.

Businesses should not be faced with a choice to comply with expensive regulations or shut their doors. Unelected bureaucrats in federal agencies, like the EPA, are churning out rules and regulations at an unprecedented pace, without considering the practical impact on businesses and families.

That is why I was proud to support H.R. 367, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which would increase accountability for the federal regulatory process by requiring Congress and the President to approve all new major regulations proposed by an agency. Unfortunately, this bill is just one of 347 bills that are currently stuck in the Senate.

These regulations do not strike the appropriate balance between maintaining a clean and healthy environment while promoting a thriving economy. The EPA is going too far, too fast, and is hurting American families and businesses in the process. As your representative, I will continue to oppose EPA regulations that threaten American manufacturing jobs and affordable energy.