“This legislation represents the kind of balanced federal-state partnership that is needed for environmental protection. On the other hand, the EPA is considering regulations for coal-fired power plants that will raise energy prices, hurt families and destroy American jobs,” said Steve Miller, president and CEO, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE). “We support this bipartisan legislation because it would establish a sensible program to regulate coal ash and ensure the environment is protected without unnecessary increases in energy costs or putting American jobs in jeopardy.”
Coal ash is a byproduct of using coal to generate electricity, and is frequently recycled beneficially into a variety of applications such as additives in concrete, cement, wallboard and roofing materials. It is also used to produce road base and fill materials, and in snow and ice control.
A recent analysis by the National Economic Research Associates found four of the EPA’s regulations would cause double-digit electricity price increases in many regions of the country, raise other energy prices and destroy more than 180,000 American jobs annually.
The ACCCE continues to urge the EPA to develop sensible regulations that protect the economy and jobs, as well as the environment.
