SW Georgia News

Washington, D.C.—Today, Representative Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn a new rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that mandates stringent wastewater standards for power plants. The representatives argue that the rule is based on inadequate data and technology.

The EPA's new regulation reverses its effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) released in 2020. According to Collins and Guthrie, the revised limits lack sufficient justification.

Rep. Mike Collins stated, "Millions of Americans depend on safe, reliable, and affordable electricity derived from coal. The Environmental Protection Agency's revision to technology-based wastewater standards sets unworkable and unattainable limits for coal-fired power plants and is another step in the Biden administration's war on American energy."

Rep. Brett Guthrie added, "I am proud to join Congressman Collins in opposing the Biden administration’s latest unnecessary mandate that will regulate coal-powered generation out of existence. The Obama-Biden War on Coal blatantly ignores the importance coal and other fossil fuels play in helping to provide reliable and affordable sources of energy to American households. The EPA must undo these requirements which require unproven technologies and are simply not attainable for our coal-fired plants across Kentucky and the nation."

Guthrie continued, "Nearly 70 percent of Kentucky’s electricity generation comes from coal – this rule fails to consider alternatives that could reliably and affordably replace this much-needed electricity. We must continue to work to incorporate fossil fuels into America’s energy future, which will help play an important role in addressing expected increases in energy demand and keep the lights on for families across Kentucky and the country."

Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA is required to set ELGs based on the "best available technology economically achievable." These guidelines establish numeric limits for specific pollutants incorporated into permits awarded to power plants, regulating their discharges into U.S. waterways.

The EPA’s Power Plant Wastewater Proposal sets standards that Collins and Guthrie claim are neither technologically nor economically achievable at present. They argue that such regulations would lead to plant closures nationwide, adversely affecting communities dependent on fossil fuels for energy and putting additional strain on an already stressed electric grid.