Chamber Backs Whitfield-Manchin Legislation

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced its support Monday for legislation that would thwart EPA attempts to regulate emissions from coal-fired power plants.

The bill, authored by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., would block new agency rules that limit emissions and essentially mandate use of carbon capture technology. "[Carbon capture and sequestration] is nowhere near commercial viability due to financial, technological, and other hurdles," wrote the Chamber's Bruce Josten. "Accordingly, EPA's designation of CCS as the best system for compliance under this rule amounts to little more than a regulatory euphemism for what is plainly a ban on the construction of new coal-fired power plants."

The provisions in the Whitfield-Manchin bill, Josten said, "are common sense solutions that would serve to uphold the spirit and intent of the Clean Air Act and prevent disruption to the affordable and reliable electricity that provides the backbone of the American economy."