Gohmert on Obama's New EPA Regulations

Statement

Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement on the Obama Administration's decision to mandate a 30 percent cut in carbon emissions at fossil fuel-burning power plants by 2030:

"President Obama's plan to combat global warming is a actually a plan that will ultimately shut down power plants and cause air conditioning bills to 'necessarily skyrocket' as he promised when he was a candidate. Unfortunately, that appears to be one of the few campaign promises he has kept.

At a time when our nation's economy has been shrinking as have some people's incomes, this new plan will surely drive more American businesses overseas to countries that are neither afraid nor ashamed to use the energy with which their countries have been blessed. This measure, aimed at cutting pollution from coal-fired power plants, has essentially waged a war on our coal industry. Coming on the heels of millions of Americans losing their health insurance policies they liked, while seeing their healthcare costs escalate, this will be a devastating blow to both individuals' cost of living and, for many, their way of making a living.

These new EPA regulations, more than likely, will result in the closure of a large number of American coal production facilities as well as electricity producing plants that run on coal over the next decade. Our air in Texas is cleaner than it has been in decades and continues to improve, but what is proposed now, means higher costs and thousands fewer jobs.

Projections are that this Presidential power play to eliminate American power will cost our economy up to $50 billion a year. America's economy doesn't run on moonbeams and windmills. Even areas that have solar or wind energy must have transmission lines from other plants like those running on coal to provide power when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining. These regulations are intrusive, punitive and ineffective. It is my hope that the Senate Democrats will listen to the American men and woman, who have already tightened their belts in this economy, and stop this disaster from being implemented. Let's not force a procedure that kills the patient."

Congressman Louie Gohmert is the Vice Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Prior to being elected to serve in Congress, Louie was elected to three terms as District Judge in Smith County, Texas. He also served as Chief Justice of Texas'12th Court of Appeals.

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