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WASHINGTUN, DC: 20510 

May 22, 2014 

The Honorable Gina McCarthy 

Administrator 

Environmental Protection Agency 

U.S. EPA IIcadquarters — Williarn J. Clinton Building 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20460 

Dear Administrator McCarthy, 

We are writing to request that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provide at least a 120 

day comment period on the upcoming draft proposal for the regulation of greenhouse gases from 

existing power plants. The EPA should provide this extended comment period as soon as the 

proposed rule is noticed in the federal register, given the significant impact this rule could have 

on our nation's electricity providers and consumers, on jobs in communities that have existing 

coal-based power plants, and on the economy as a whole. 

1'lie upcotnitlg proposal will be far more cornplex and critical 1or the industry to deal with than 

the proposal for new plants, and stakeholders will need time to analyze the rule and detet-mine its 

impact on individual power plants, reliability and consumer cost, and on the electric system as a 

whole. 7'his analysis will be no small undertaking, as this will be the first evet• regulation of 

greenhouse gases from existing power plants. E 1'A recognized that additional time was needed 

and extended the original 60 day cornment period for the Agency's proposal regarding new 

source perforniance standards for newly constnicted power plants, so it only makes sensc to 

provide at least the same timeline from the outset for the existing plant rule. 

Affordable, reliable, and redundant sources of'electricity are essential to the econornic well-being 

ot' our states and the quality of life of our constituents. While we a11 agree that clean air is vitally 

important, EPA lias an obligation to understand the impacts that regulatians have oti all segments 

of society. As one step toward fitlfillint; this obligation, we urge you to provide for a comment 

period of at least 120 days on the forthcoming performance standards for existing eoal-based 

power plants. 

Thank you for your consideration ofthis request. 

^.'^^if^l ^WD&L-0

Deb N ischer 

United States Senator

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