-Bill would prevent EPA from ever requiring coal-fired power plants to control carbon pollution! [View all]

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(On March 6, 2014, the House resumed consideration of H.R. 3826 and passed the legislation with a roll call vote of 229 - 183.)

http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?q=bill/hr-3826-the-electricity-security-and-affordability-act

H.R. 3826, the “Electricity Security and Affordability Act”

H.R. 3826, is a bill that would essentially prevent EPA from ever requiring coal-fired power plants to control carbon pollution at any significant level.

The bill would 1) prohibit the EPA Administrator from issuing, implementing, or enforcing any rule under section 111 of the Clean Air Act establishing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for new fossil fuel-fired power plants unless separate GHG emission standards were established for coal and natural gas plants, and 2) prohibit the Administrator from establishing emission standards for new coal-fired power plants unless the proposed standards have already been achieved for 12 continuous months by at least six U.S. power plants, located at different generating stations which collectively represent the operating characteristics of each power plant, and are each commercially operated for the entire 12-month period.

Similar requirements are established under Section 2 of the Whitfield-Manchin bill for GHG emission standards for new units burning lignite coal, each of which are subject to separate GHG emission standards. The Administrator may not rely on results of demonstration projects in establishing emission standards for lignite and non-lignite coal-fired power plants. Furthermore, EPA is prevented from establishing any GHG emission standard for modified, reconstructed, or existing fossil fuel-fired power plants unless Congress passes a federal law implementing the standard. The standard must be submitted in the form of a report to Congress including its text, projected economic impact, and projected GHG emissions reduction relative to overall GHG emissions.

Section 4 of the bill repeals all EPA rules issued prior to the enactment of the bill that established GHG emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants.