AFP-GA Testifies on the EPA Proposed Power Plant Rule 

EPA Public Hearing for the Clean Power Plan for Extsting Power Plants and the 

Carbon Pollution Standards for Modifted Sources - Atlanta, Georgia; July 29, 2074 

To the Administrators: 

Thank you all for the opportunity to speak today. My na£ichael Harden andJ am the State director 

for the Georgia chapter for Americans for Prosperity, the nation'Stirgesttree-market advocacy group, with 

more than 2 million activists nationwide and the more than 55,000 activists in Georgia. AFP is committed to 

promoting energy policies that provide affordability and reliability for all Americans. I am here to talk about 

the controversial proposed Obama administration rule requiring states to reduce their carbon emissions by 30 

percent of 2005 levels. 

Although overall the reduction is 30 percent by 2030, the EPA set unequal reductions across the states, with 

this misguided new mandate falling more heavily on some states, who will be forced to comply with even more 

draconian limits. Our state will face one of the largest reductions in carbon emissions- 44% of 2012levels 

- which will have a huge impact on Georgia business and working families in terms of energy affordability, 

job creation, and economic growth . 1 These new rules would require our energy producers to buy expensive 

retrofitting equipment, impose expensive new fuel switching and I or green energy mandates, or by shutting 

down plants entirely - the costs of which will inevitably pass onto energy consumers in the form of higher rates. 

Currently, Georgia has 9 coal power plants that generate one-third of their electricity from coal.2 It ranks 14th 

among the states in terms of coal use. 3 Coal and natural gas remain the most cost-effective and reliable options 

for electricity generation in the state, and their widespread use helps contribute to Georgia's below-average 

electricity prices. 4 

Higher Utility Bills and Shrinking Family Budgets 

This is a pocket book issue. Federal micromanaging of Georgia's electricity generation portfolio will invariably 

cause electricity prices to rise, and higher electricity bills are bad news for struggling Georgia families - and 

the most vulnerable families will be the hardest hit. The median Georgia family already spends roughly $1800 

of their disposable income on residential energy alone. 5 With these regulations, costs will increase significantly, 

leaving Georgians with less money in their pockets for essentials such as health care and groceries. Even worse, 

higher energy prices disproportionally effect those who can least afford it, those who are struggling the most in 

the down economy. Those earning between $10,000 and $30,000 per year will, on average, spend almost 10% of 

their disposable income on their residential energy needs. 6 

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The Rules Will Kill Jobs 

Because such a significant portion of Georgia's electricity comes from coal, the EPA regulations would have 

an overwhelming negative impact on jobs in the Georgian economy with ramifications reaching well beyond 

the 19,500 employed in the utilities sector. The relatively cheap energy prices have been essential to growing 

the Georgia manufacturing industry. Companies such as Caterpillar, Shaw and Mohawk Industries have all 

expanded in recent years, bringing in more than 16,000 jobs and $1 billion in investments. According to Roy 

Brown of the Georgia Association of Manufacturers, this growth has been "driven by the advantage that we are 

seeing come to us in terms of energy prices:' 

This advantage currently held by Georgia would virtually disappear with these new EPA regulations, and with 

it billions of dollars in economic activity and thousands of Georgia jobs each year. More directly, forcing the 

closure of coal power plants would have a significant impacts on the communities in which they operate. One 

coal power plant in Coosa, a plant which could be forced to close under the new EPA rules, operates in Floyd 

County where it is responsible for 10 percent of the local tax revenue. Closing the plant would be devastating to a 

community with an employment rate of 7.9 percent and a poverty rate of twenty percent. 7 

These new rules will have a secondary impact on businesses elsewhere in the economy. Even if businesses' 

energy demands remain constant the price to produce their goods and services will increase. Any increases in 

businesses cost means fewer resources to hire new employees or expand their production. This leads to slower 

economic growth and fewer jobs as valuable resources are diverted to pay the energy bill. 

Conclusion 

The proposed EPA regulations on C02 will have a devastating effect on the Georgian economy and its residents. 

Given the high costs to Georgians and America at large, AFP strongly supports preventing the implementation 

of these regulations. 

Endnotes: 

1. "EPA Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets by State." EPA Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets by State. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2014. ~' \\'\\' 

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2. "Clean power plan maps." EPA.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2014. bJ.l.rs' /cle<~npuwcr!2lmm.tp.\ t'!'<LGm·,..( :[l'.lnP_owerPLtn/. 

3. "U.S. Energy Information Administration- EIA- Independent Statistics and Analysis." U.S. States. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2014. http:: 'www.eid.gn:_ __ 

4. "C".S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." Georgia. >J.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2014. httl-'::';\,·ww.cia gov i 

5. "Energy Cost Impacts on American Families 2001-2013." Americas power. ~.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2014.J.:1w : /~tmeri cct<.l-10\l'<..'l".tlrj.i;\ilt'.~ def,mltifl i c., 

6. IBID 

7. "Georgia Coal-to-Solar Pivot Shows the \Vay on Climate Regs." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, n.d. Web. 9 July 2014. htlp:i 'www.hlur>J)Jbt'r£-L(l!lli_ 

nn1 ::.: 1(11·1 ll-:' -() 1--R,((.>t~i,l w~ll ltl-nukc-pi1 ot __ ~_bi.2..!!:.'! the \S,ll·-un-dtmal( r~#'Jllrn.L 

Americans fi1r Prosperity' (AFP) is a natinnwide organization of citizen leaders com mined tu ath-ancing every individual's right tn ccomm1ic frCcdom and 

opportunity. AfP hdicvcs rcdudng the size and scope of government is the best sa!Cguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperit}' ll1r all Americans. ArP educates and engages citizens in support of rcstr<~ining state and fcden1\ government gwwth and returning g<1wrnment to its nmstitutionallimit~. 

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