Rep Zinke Supports AG Fox's Challenge of EPA

Statement

Today, Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voiced his support for Attorney General Tim Fox's lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over their new job-killing carbon regulations known as the "Clean Power Plan." Earlier this year, Rep. Zinke took to the House floor to blast the rule. Watch the video here. The new EPA regulations would increase Montana's average utility costs across the board. Electricity costs would increase by 21% and an annual gas bill by 41%, or almost $500 per household by 2020 in Montana alone. Industrial customers will face up to $2,400 a year in additional costs. This is the most restrictive climate change plan in American history. Zinke cosponsored and voted for H.R.2042, the Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015, which would extend the compliance deadline and protect states' rights to exempt themselves from federal plans. This bill passed out of the House on June 24, 2015.

"Attorney General Tim Fox has proven time and time again he is committed to standing up for Montana; this time he is fighting for Montana families and businesses by taking on the EPA and their misguided carbon regulations," said Rep. Ryan Zinke. "I have all the confidence in the world in Fox after he successfully led efforts to halt both the EPA's Waters of the U.S. rule and the President's executive amnesty. I was just in Colstrip last week where this regulation threatens not only the power plant but the livelihoods of the people who live there. If the EPA plan is enacted, their jobs are dead.

"I believe Montana knows best how to manage our power and our resources, much better than unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C, do. In Montana, we value our beautiful lands and clean air and water, and we all work together to conserve our resources. Our state has already reduced our emissions rates without the federal government getting involved. The EPA's supposed "Clean Power Plan' will kill good-paying union jobs and drive up costs for Montana families and small businesses.

"Look at the facts: the national labor participation rate is the lowest it has been in the past 30 years. Wages are stagnant, the cost of living is going up, and energy prices for home heating and manufacturing are skyrocketing because of layers and layers of regulations. Our communities cannot afford another federal assault on the economy. Coal remains Montana's, and our nation's, largest source of electricity because it is affordable and readily available. Whether the coal is mined in Montana or turned into electricity to build cars in Michigan, coal is an important part of the American economy."

In 2007, Montana enacted a law that requires new coal mines to capture and sequester at least half of their CO2 emissions. The new EPA regulations will have a significant impact on Montana coal, both for producers and for consumers. Montana holds one-fourth of all recoverable U.S. coal reserves, and about half of Montana's coal is sent by rail to other states. This industry employs roughly 6,500 Montanans. The EPA expects the new rule to decrease electricity generation from coal by nearly 30% nationwide. This rule would have a large impact on the Crow Nation, as they have an estimated 9 billion tons of low-sulfur coal as well as crude oil and natural gas reserve.

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