“EPA today released its final Clean Power Plan intended to address climate change through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. This final rule is significantly different from the rule as originally proposed. Unfortunately, the changes in the rule do nothing to address the fact that the enormous costs of the rule to businesses and consumers will continue to far exceed benefits that are so small as to be essentially impossible to measure. Nor do these changes address the major legal and procedural shortcomings in the rule.
“EPA estimates the rule will have an annual cost in excess of $8 billion, but will reduce global temperatures by less than 0.02 degrees Celsius. That is a cost benefit that no business or consumer trying to make ends meet can afford.
“The final rule increases the role that renewable energy must play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Texas is already far and away the national leader in renewable energy. Once again, Texas is asked to do more than any other state in meeting the EPA’s goals for federal regulation of our energy economy.
“Affected parties must have an opportunity to review rules before they are finalized by a federal agency. Because EPA has made such significant changes to the rule, no one has had the opportunity to review and comment on these changes. The rule should be re-proposed to solicit public comment before any decisions are made concerning implementation.”
Stephen Minick, Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the Texas Association of Business.