AFPI Supports the Reversal of Restrictive Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “Power Plant Rule”
Washington D.C.—Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) issued the following statement from Ambassador Carla Sands, vice chair for Energy and Environment, and Ted Ellis, director of Power America, regarding the EPA’s proposal to repeal the Biden administration’s power plant rule:
“The prior power plant rule was a direct assault on the affordable, reliable electricity that underpins American life and prosperity. It was designed to systematically dismantle our dependable energy infrastructure by imposing unachievable mandates on coal and natural gas plants, effectively turning the EPA into an unelected, unaccountable grid manager,” said Ambassador Sands. “This reckless policy was a guaranteed path to skyrocketing electricity prices and a dangerously fragile grid, inflicting the most severe harm on hardworking American families and those least able to absorb such costs. The decision by the EPA Administrator to repeal this destructive regulation is a vital and courageous step toward restoring energy sanity. It prioritizes the well-being of Americans over a radical, anti-energy agenda and is crucial for securing our nation's energy future, ensuring that reliable, cost-effective power remains accessible to all.”
“The EPA's proposal to repeal the previous administration’s power plant rule marks a necessary return to energy policy grounded in reality and America First priorities. The previous rule was a blatant attempt to force the premature shutdown of our essential coal fleet and to block the construction of new, efficient natural gas plants. It did this by mandating so-called 'solutions' like 90% carbon capture and storage – a technology that remains unproven at scale and economically unviable, with precisely zero power plants achieving this standard today,” said Ellis. “The previous policy was a flagrant disregard for the Clean Air Act's explicit requirement for 'adequately demonstrated' technology and a direct defiance of the Supreme Court's clear ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, which affirmed that the EPA lacks the authority to fundamentally transform the nation's energy sector without explicit Congressional authorization. This repeal is essential for ensuring America has abundant, affordable, and reliable electricity, free from ideologically driven mandates that ignore science, economics, and the rule of law.”