Cramer: House Stands up for Electric Customers by Passing H.R. 2042, the Ratepayers Protection Act

Press Release

Today, Congressman Kevin Cramer joined a majority of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 2042, the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bill he helped introduce as a cosponsor to the whole House. This legislation protects electric consumers from the potential rate increases and reliability risks resulting from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan for existing power plants. Last June, EPA proposed a rule for existing power plants, referred to by the agency as its "Clean Power Plan." In the rule, EPA interprets a rarely invoked provision of the Clean Air Act, section 111(d), to allow the agency to set mandatory carbon dioxide (CO2) "goals" for each state's electricity system. H.R. 2042 would extend the rule's compliance dates pending judicial review, including the dates for submission of state plans and provide that no state shall be required to implement a state or federal plan that the state's governor, in consultation with other relevant state officials, determines would have a significant adverse effect on (i) retail, commercial, or industrial ratepayers; or (ii) the reliability of the state's electricity system.

"This bill will stop another unconstitutional power grab by the EPA which ratepayers and this country cannot afford. The Clean Power Plan will increase the cost of everything we produce, manufacture and grow in this country, hurting consumers and our competiveness in markets around the world. This rule jeopardizes our electrical transmission and distribution grid with no plans for the replacement of traditional base load generation. As a former member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission, I know states and not the federal government have primary responsibility for regulating electricity production and transmission," said Cramer.

The justification used by the EPA for the implementation of the Clean Power Plan is the purported environmental and health problems associated with greenhouse gases. Pollutants which have known health impacts from industrial plants, including power plants, are already being successfully regulated to protect human health and the environment. The American Lung Association has scored all North Dakota counties with an A grade in its' "State of the Air" report card, including those counties with coal power plants.

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