The following can be attributed to Tony Bennett, president of the Texas Association of Manufacturers.

“The Texas Association of Manufacturers applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to stay implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan while the lower court decides if the Plan itself is lawful.

The Clean Power Plan dramatically expands the EPA’s authority, without a Congressional directive to do so, and threatens Texans’ access to affordable, reliable power by radically restructuring the nation’s electric generation resources. With limited and questionable environmental benefits, the costs associated with the Clean Power Plan are staggering. For Texas alone, the cost increases under the proposed rule are expected to rise as high as $15 billion annually by 2030.

The Texas manufacturing sector is among the most efficient industries in the world both in terms of energy use and air emissions. The Clean Power Plan could drive American manufacturing operations to other, less efficient countries, undermining the stated purpose of the Plan. Overzealous federal overreach like we see in the Clean Power Plan is a case study in unintended and counterproductive consequences.

We’re encouraged that the nation’s highest court has hit pause so that Texans aren’t hit with the negative consequences of the Plan before the courts have the opportunity to determine if such an overreach is even legal.”

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Media contact: Gretchen Fox, 512-694-4326