Texas Fight! Abbott, Cornyn, Cruz vs. EPA’s Clean Power Plan

“Far exceeding the legal authority that Congress has delegated to the EPA, this power plan would set the U.S. on an even more aggressive path to reduce CO2 than has been taken by some European countries where electric prices are two to three times higher than the average U.S. rate.”

– Kathleen Hartnett White, Texas Public Policy Foundation (May 7, 2015)

Congratulations to the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) for congratulating Texas political leaders for standing firm–and mighty tall–against climate alarmism mandated from Washington, DC. Obama might be high in the saddle right now, and the spin-science-Left might be tossing climate anger at realistic science, but the voting public isn’t buying it. Abbott, Cornyn, and Cruz are playing a winning intellectual and political hand alongside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Texas’s leading multi-issue free-market think tank has eviscerated EPA’s Clean Power Plan on constitutional and economic grounds. They stay on top of the legal/political developments involved with this attempted administrative grab and write timely briefs on the issues. All good to have.

Here is TPPF’s statement about yesterday’s Washington meeting of Texas political leaders with Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell:

Texas Governor Greg Abbott met with Senators John Cornyn (TX-R) and Ted Cruz (TX-R) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in Washington D.C. to discuss pushing back against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan, which is a sweeping assertion of federal power over states to radically overhaul the entire system of electric power. The EPA’s rule would force the state of Texas to change its law to comply with a federal regulation that violates federal law as well as the U.S. and Texas constitutions.

“There are few more important issues facing America today than the specter of federal misgovernance that kills jobs, hurts communities, and deprives families of their dreams,” said TPPF President and CEO Brooke Rollins. “The EPA’s Clean Power Plan does all three, with its combination of illegal overreach and economic malpractice. We commend Governor Abbott, Senator Cornyn, Senator Cruz, and Senator McConnell for their willingness to stand together against one of Washington, D.C.’s worst ideas.”

“TPPF applauds today’s meeting of Governor Greg Abbott, Senators Cornyn and Cruz as well as Majority Leader McConnell to discuss the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which represents a takeover of the electric power sector in Texas and all other states,” said TPPF Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and director of the Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment, the Honorable Kathleen Hartnett White. 

Far exceeding the legal authority that Congress has delegated to the EPA, this power plan would set the U.S. on an even more aggressive path to reduce CO2 than has been taken by some European countries where electric prices are two to three times higher than the average U.S. rate. TPPF is grateful that our state and national leaders together recognize the necessity of resisting EPA’s rogue energy plan.  

“When our leaders in Washington get together with the Governor to talk it is obvious that they recognize the serious nature of the threat from EPA’s Clean Power Plan,” said TPPF Fueling Freedom Project Director Doug Domenech. “Texas is being unfairly targeted by EPA and the losers will be every home, every business, every school, university, fire and police station.  Everyone will be forced to pay more for electricity and every town and municipality will be forced to cut services or raise taxes to pay their bill.”

Keep up the good work TPPF–it’s being noticed.