Gov. Snyder Surrenders to Obama’s EPA

WASHINGTON – American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle issued the below statement following Governor Snyder’s announcement that he plans to implement EPA’s harmful carbon regulations:

“The Snyder administration’s decision to wave the white flag and implement EPA’s carbon regulation is bad news for Michigan families. The governor claims this approach ‘retains control’ for Michigan, yet the opposite is true. Implementing this regulation, when serious legal challenges persist, effectively hands over the keys to Michigan’s energy future to unelected bureaucrats in Washington. Once Gov. Snyder signs away Michigan’s control over its energy future to Obama’s EPA, there is no turning back.

“Obama and EPA want states to think their only choices are to submit a state plan or have a federal plan imposed on them. Gov. Snyder has apparently fallen for this false choice. The real choice is between shielding Michigan from this harmful carbon regulation or helping President Obama carry it across the finish line as the sun sets on his presidency.

“Obama’s carbon regulation is a national energy tax that will burden Michiganders, especially the poor, with higher energy prices and fewer jobs, yet will have no impact on climate change. Michigan voters made clear their stance on higher energy taxes when they overwhelmingly rejected Governor Snyder’s gas tax proposal earlier this year. The governor should listen to the citizens in his state and join the ranks of several of his fellow governors by rejecting the Obama administration’s carbon regulation.”

​Background

President’s Carbon Regulation Targets Coal, Props Up Wind

EPA’s plan will shut down affordable and reliable coal power, which meets nearly half of Michigan’s electricity needs, while propping up expensive and unreliable sources like solar and wind energy. According to a new study from the Institute for Energy Research, electricity from new wind generation is three times more expensive than from existing coal sources.