The TRAIN Act (H.R. 2401) would require a multi-agency cost-benefit assessment of the Utility MACT and the Cross State Air Pollution rule (CSPR). The NMA also succeeded in winning endorsement for Rep. Ed Whitfield’s (R-Ky.) amendment delaying implementation of the rules for several years after the assessment is completed. Last week, the White House indicated the president would veto any bill that blocks implementation of these rules.
NMA President and CEO Hal Quinn called the vote a “responsible action against a significant threat to jobs and the economy. This economy can ill afford deep disruptions in the nation’s power grid and the staggering costs that will result from the Utility MACT rule and the CSPR rule,” said Quinn, who also saluted key bi-partisan sponsors Reps. John Sullivan (R-Okla.), Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) for their support.
In the days before the vote, the NMA aggressively mobilized its grassroots network, arranged Hill visits with member-company CEOs and partnered with the railroad industry to sign a joint letter to House members spelling out the importance of the vote for protecting jobs and grid reliability. The NMA is now turning to the Senate with similar efforts.
