Expressing the sense of Congress that the Environmental Protection Agency should hold public listening sessions on regulations targeting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants in those States most directly impacted by the potential regulations.

Bill: 113-hconres-59
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV-2]
Introduced: 2013-10-08
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Air quality

Climate change and greenhouse gases

Coal

Colorado

Electric power generation and transmission

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Environmental regulatory procedures

Executive agency funding and structure

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

New Mexico

North Dakota

Ohio

Public participation and lobbying

Public utilities and utility rates

Transportation costs

Utah

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming
Latest action: action_date: 2013-10-11
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-10-08
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should hold public listening sessions on rulemaking targeting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants in each of the 15 states with the highest percentage of electricity generated by coal in 2012 (West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Montana, and Wisconsin); and (2) such sessions should be held at a time and place that would maximize the ability of individuals to participate.</p>

tv_txt: IV 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 59 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 8, 2013 Mrs. Capito (for herself, Mrs. Lummis , Mr. Johnson of Ohio , Mr. McKinley , Mr. Cramer , Mr. Smith of Missouri , Mr. Rahall , Mr. Rogers of Kentucky , Mr. Terry , Mr. Stivers , Mr. Guthrie , Mrs. Walorski , Mr. Gosar , Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania , Mr. Long , Mr. Luetkemeyer , Mr. Daines , and Mr. Barr ) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of Congress that the Environmental Protection Agency should hold public listening sessions on regulations targeting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants in those States most directly impacted by the potential regulations.

Whereas coal provides affordable, reliable energy that provides low-cost electricity to individuals and businesses across the country; Whereas nearly 40 percent of all electricity generated in the United States comes from coal; Whereas the 15 States with the highest percentage of electricity generated from coal in 2012 were West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Montana, and Wisconsin; Whereas President Obama announced on June 25, 2013, that the Environmental Protection Agency would promulgate regulations targeting greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-fired power plants with a proposed rule to be released in June 2014 and a final rule adopted in June 2015; Whereas, on September 30, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the public listening sessions on rulemaking targeting greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-fired power plants would be held in Boston, Massachusetts; New York City, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; Denver, Colorado; Lenexa, Kansas; San Francisco, California; Washington, DC; Dallas, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois; Whereas the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of the listening sessions states that [t]he feedback from these 11 public listening sessions will play an important role in helping EPA develop smart, cost-effective guidelines that reflect the latest and best information available ; Whereas none of the 11 public listening sessions announced by the Environmental Protection Agency will be held in one of the 10 States with the highest percentage of electricity generated from coal; Whereas none of the 11 public listening sessions announced by the Environmental Protection Agency will be held in one of the top 3 coal-producing States; Whereas the 10 States and the District of Columbia where public listening sessions will be held generate an average of 26 percent of their electricity from coal; Whereas regulatory efforts that could lead to the retirement of additional coal-fired power plants would have a disproportionate impact on jobs, utility rates, and the overall economy in States that rely on coal for a higher percentage of electricity generation; Whereas the Environmental Protection Agency should use its public listening sessions to hear the potential impact of its regulatory actions in those States where the regulatory impact would be the greatest; and Whereas the Environmental Protection Agency’s stated goal of using the listening sessions to help EPA develop smart, cost-effective guidelines cannot be achieved by excluding the views of residents in those States that rely most heavily on coal for electricity generation: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of Congress that— (1) public listening sessions on rulemaking targeting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants should be held in each of the fifteen States with the highest percentage of electricity generated by coal in 2012 (West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Montana, and Wisconsin); and (2) such listening sessions should be held at a time and place that would maximize the ability of individuals to participate.