At a recent event in New Hampshire, New Jersey Governor and potential presidential candidate Chris Christie was asked by a member of the crowd his stance on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In the past, Christie has come out in support of the mandate, telling Iowans that he “absolutely” supports the RFS because “it is what the law requires.” At the New Hampshire event, Rep. Joe Pitre (R-Strafford) asked “in light of the EPA’s recent proposal to roll back the amount of...
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The Environmental Protection Agency’s so-called “Clean Power Plan” will impose severe economic burdens on Black and Hispanic families, according to a new study from the National Black Chamber of Commerce . Rising electric rates and job losses expected under the EPA’s rule will have a disproportionate impact on poor people and minorities, who spend a higher share of their household budgets on energy. NBCC’s study shows that EPA’s agenda will inflict the most pain on those who...
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One way to tell if someone is lying is if they tend to excessively repeat words and phrases. As a case study, the Environmental Protection Agency can’t stop saying the word “flexible.” The EPA uses it to describe its so-called “Clean Power Plan” forcing states to impose strict carbon dioxide reductions, with some variation of the word appearing 163 times in the proposed rule. The gist of the claim is that “each state will have the flexibility to select the measure or combination...
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pursuing an aggressive regulatory agenda so sprawling that at least two of its major regulations seem to conflict with one another, undermining the agency’s stated goals. EPA has proposed severe reductions in ground-level ozone levels, but complying with that rule could hamper states’ ability to comply with the EPA’s so-called “Clean Power Plan.” EPA’s ozone limits would likely restrict natural gas production in key shale gas...
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Recently, several members of Congress have taken the initiative to fight back against the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan. The rule, to be finalized sometime this summer, will shutter roughly 90 GW of coal-fired electricity , according to the Energy Information Administration. This will threaten the reliability of the grid and cause electricity prices to skyrocket. In March, Sen. McConnell urged states to protect their sovereignty over state energy policy by refusing to submit a State...
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Nearly 40,000 fitness enthusiasts enjoyed Pittsburgh’s annual marathon last month, with dozens of professional athletes and runners as old as 85 participating in the weekend-long event. Despite the marathon’s ranking as one of the best in the world due to its scenic routes and ideal conditions for distance running, the American Lung Association gave the city an “F” for its allegedly filthy air in its recently released 2015 “State of the Air ” report. Pittsburgh’s air has...
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Coal-fired electricity generators that once powered 5.5 million homes have closed permanently, according to a recent announcement from the Columbus, Ohio-based electric utility American Electric Power (AEP). The 5,588 megawatts (MW) of coal capacity located across Appalachia and the Midwest are the latest casualties in the continued assault on affordable, reliable power by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Obama. Specifically, AEP’s announcement says the utility...
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Recently, two organizations  sympathetic to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed carbon dioxide restriction on existing power plants published separate papers detailing options for states to comply with the new rule. The papers are certainly illuminating, but perhaps not in the way the authors intended—both reinforce how costly, convoluted, and unworkable EPA’s proposal is. They also confirm critics’ worst fears: that the proposed rule pressures states to impose by...
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WASHINGTON – Today, the American Energy Alliance launched the first phase of a six-figure advocacy initiative urging Congress to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard. The initiative begins this week with print and online ads in CQ Roll Call and a series of online ads in Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas. The ads are the first step in a sustained initiative urging lawmakers to pursue full repeal of the RFS.

"We’re sending a clear message to Congress that the only way to...

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States that have enacted renewable energy mandates in recent years are beginning to have buyer’s remorse. Last week, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed into law legislation repealing his state’s renewable energy mandate and replacing it with a voluntary goal. Kansas joins a growing chorus of states that have either repealed or frozen their renewable mandates. Kansas’ decision to repeal their renewable energy mandate is important for several reasons: the vote was bipartisan,...
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