'Drive-up energy costs': Sen. Moran joins EPA rule change fight

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Senator Jerry Moran has announced he is joining a resolution to stop the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule change that opponents argue will shut down American power plants.

The resolution was led by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and joined by 43 other senators. The joint resolution says Congress disapproves of the rule submitted by the EPA and that if approved, the rule would have no force or effect.

According to a press release from Moran's office, a similar attempt to close power plants was previously tried under President Barack Obama but was overturned by the Supreme Court in West Virginia.

“American energy production bolsters our economy and keeps us on track towards energy independence,” said Sen. Moran. “Energy generated from existing power plants help support families and communities in Kansas and across the country, and imposing harmful emission regulations will only drive-up energy costs for ratepayers.”

According to the EPA, the rule change could prevent up to 1,200 premature deaths, 870 hospital and emergency room visits, 1,900 cases of asthma onset, 360,000 cases of asthma symptoms, 48,000 school absence days and 57,000 lost workdays.

“EPA does not expect this rule to affect the current operations of power plants, and therefore anticipates no impacts to electricity generation or grid reliability,” the White House said. “This rule reflects the Administration’s commitment to reduce pollution from the power sector while providing long-term regulatory certainty and operational flexibility.”

Last month 27 News spoke to energy suppliers across the Midwest who shared similar sentiment that "the EPA rule could negatively impact the nation’s ability to provide consumers reliable electric service," the Southwest Power Pool said in a press release.

“Our mission, and our charge from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is to strive to continuously keep the lights on today and tomorrow throughout our region,” said Lanny Nickell, chief operating officer at SPP. “We take our duty to the 18 million people in our footprint very seriously, and we fear that the EPA rule will induce or impose actions that conflict with that duty. At the minimum, it presents serious complications for SPP and our members that may be insurmountable.”

“As a member of Edison Electric Institute, Evergy is represented in and supports their challenge of the rule,” Evergy Senior Communications Manager Courtney Lewis said. “We support EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. As an industry there are concerns that the new rules could impact affordability and reliability.”

On May 9, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a petition against the EPA’s new suite of rules.

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