The EPA is waging a war on Texas.
The Federalist reports that EPA and the Obama Administration have created a multi-billion dollar plan which, if implemented, would reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the electric sector by 30%. In a Thursday press release, Governor Abbott said the new carbon dioxide plan, called the Clean Power Plan,
will burden Texas far more than any other state, killing jobs and stagnating Texas’ unprecedented economic growth,”
That economic growth is due in no small part to Texas’ sizable energy sector, which is already very environmentally conscious. The Federalist article reports,
Texas generates 11 percent of the nation’s energy and sells it in many state markets…Texas emissions are actually below the national average and lower than that of 18 other states…Texas has half of the cleanest coal plants in the nation.”
Additionally, an article in BIC Magazine confirms Texas is on the forefront of environmentalism:
Texas leads the nation in both traditional and alternative energy production and is a national leader in ozone reduction, cutting nitrogen oxide emissions by 64 percent and sulfur dioxide by 32 percent.”
Despite these facts, EPA continues to impose heavy regulations on Texas. The Clean Power Plan is different from the “regional haze” rules which the EPA’s Air Planning Section want to force on Texas, and also different from the ozone restrictions EPA wants to coerce the States into complying with.
Governor Abbott’s press release stated,
The EPA’s latest attempt at imposing burdensome regulations represents an unprecedented meddling with Texas in order to push the Obama Administration’s liberal climate change agenda. The EPA’s newest suite of rules, led by the Clean Power Plan, seeks unprecedented control over the State’s energy mix that will certainly result in higher energy prices for Texans and will threaten the reliability of Texas’ electric grid.”
Why does the EPA keep picking on Texas? The latest regulation
requires Texas to reduce CO2 by an amount greater than 27 states combined.”
These regulations would have grave consequences for Texas. The state would be required to increase its renewable energy production by 150%. The Federalist reports,
In the end, Texas’ renewable fleet would have to be larger than the present-day fleets of every country in the world, except the United States, to meet this demand.”
EPA’s unending regulations are burdensome and costly. The Agency is another arm of an overreaching federal government. Governor Abbott has repeatedly acted to defend Texas sovereignty against EPA overreach. As Texas’ Attorney General, Governor Abbott consistently took legal action to reign in an out-of-control EPA. To join Governor Abbott’s fight against EPA overreach, sign the petition here.