Good afternoon, my name is DougMiell. I am representing the Georgia Chamber ofCommerce. The Chamber is the largest voice ofGeorgia's business community. We understand that our members share one importantrequirement

- the need for reliable and affordable energy. Itis a majorkey to Georgia's competitiveness and success and underpins ourbusiness investment, employment growth and enviable living standards. The Chamber seeks to preserve this advantage for Georgia and its communities and, therefore, does not supportEPA's decision to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the CleanAirAct. The Chamber supports market-based development ofenergy generation capabilities, ofwhich coal-fueled generation is an important component. Currently, the development and management ofthe state's energy generation and distribution systems is carefully planned to stimulate required investment, provide supply certainty & reliability and minimize, to the maximum extentpossible, upwardpressure on consumerpnces. EPA's regulatory processes must preserve these principles. Georgiahas already achieved significant emissions reductions through the combined actions ofutilities, regulators, and consumers. Ongoing change can be achieved without driving the state's economy into a ditch, or forcing consumers to bear the burden ofinevitable price increases not only in powerprices, but all manner ofgoods and services they rely on to underpin their quality oflife. Data in the 2014 GeorgiaEnergy Report reveals that in recentyears, Georgia has significantly changed its energy generation mix and reduced its carbon emissions by fuel switching, utility investments, and consumption efficiencies. This canbe attributed to a combination of market forces, regulatory stimulation and consumerbehavior. All achieved during a protractedperiod ofslow national economic recovery and without a debilitating cleanpowerplan.Our state is a prime example ofwhat can be done when providers have the opportunity to identify the solutions that make the most sense - not only for them but for the communities they serve, somethingthey will no longer be allowed to do should the EPA's one-size-fits-all regulations be implemented next year. The United States can also learn a cheap lesson from the recent Australian carbon tax experience. During its two year lifespan, the carbontax sluggedbusinesses and industry $9 billionper year, power prices skyrocketed, all for a minuscule, barely measurable reductions in emtsswns. Businesses were hit with a tax that their international competitors did not have. Some closed, others shifted offshore, many struggled to survive and prosper. Clearly, taxation and heavy-handed regulation are not the panaceato achieving meaningful reductions in carbon emissions. This pathway delivered at best symbolic emissionreductions, placed an undue burden on Australian consumers, and clearly illustrates the economic uncertainty that faces the U.S. economy ifEPA's Clean Power Plan is implemented as proposed. Itis not a pathway the Chamber wants to see imposed in Georgia. As has been demonstrated here in Georgia, it is indeed possible to achieve meaningful environmental outcomes- while maintaining affordable prices

- without subjectingthe economy to draconian measures that will hitbusiness and consumer confidence, stall business investment and hinder employment growth. Rural consumers are likely to be hardest hit in this scenario and have the least ability to cope with any powerprice increases.The Chamber states that: • EPA is not completely focused on respecting roles defined by the Law. EPA's actions must allow the States ample time to perform theirrightful roles and rulemaking authorities; • We do not supportEPA's heavy-handed approach on many ofits recent actions, often ignoring the specific needs ofregions and states; • We are concernedthatEPA appearsto be rushingto achieve an arbitrary deadline without fully considering state-specific options; and • Individual Chamber members are very concerned that EPA's actions will undermine the reliability and affordability oftheir energy supplies, potentially impacting theirbusinessprofitability and competitiveness. OurChamber absolutely agrees that Georgia's natural beauty and quality oflife are resources that should be protected

- but we also believe that can be done in a waythat does not risk our ability to createjobs, encourage investment, and maintain the globally competitive status we have worked so hard to create. We implore the EPA to take the needs ofindividual states, and our economy, into considerationbefore finalizing the rules as proposed in the CleanPowerPlan. Thankyou.

DougMiell Georgia Chamber ofCommerce