Consumer Energy Alliance’s Michael Whatley is quoted in a Bloomberg story about the Obama Administration’s proposed cuts to power-plant emissions, warning the proposal will hurt consumers.
The administration is arguing that the plan would both have meaningful health benefits, because it would lead to less soot and smog as old coal plants shutter, and will lower customers’ electricity bills as they use less power. McCarthy said it would fuel investment and economic growth by promoting clean energy innovation.
In a call with Democratic lawmakers yesterday, Obama dismissed complaints that the rule will hurt the economy by driving up electricity prices, and told the Democrats listening: “Please go on offense” to promote the health impacts of the measure, said two people on the call, including Representative Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat.
Coal producers, industry groups and Republicans in Congress criticized the plan.
Higher Prices
“The president’s plan is nuts, there’s really no more succinct way to describe it,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement. “Americans are still asking ‘where are the jobs?’ and here he is proposing rules to ship jobs overseas for years to come.”
The Consumer Energy Alliance, a Houston-based group whose members include Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and some coal groups, warned the proposal will hurt companies.
“Unfortunately, both the level of cuts in coal-based generation and the timelines for implementation that are proposed today will cause substantial reliability concerns and will ensure higher electricity prices across the board,” Michael Whatley, executive vice president for the group, said in a statement.
The proposed regulation will permit states to achieve the reductions in climate-warming pollutants by promoting renewable energy, encouraging greater use of natural gas, embracing energy efficiency technologies or joining carbon trading markets. The regulations apply to existing power producers. Separate regulations governing new plants have already been proposed.
