Political Quotes

“Today we fight to keep electricity affordable with the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bill that protects folks all across the country from the potential rate increases and reliability risks that experts predict will occur under the EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan. I applaud my colleague Ed Whitfield for his efforts on this important bill and I urge my colleagues to support it. In my home state of Michigan, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity estimates that the EPA's proposed plan would increase electricity prices by 12%. The last thing families in Michigan and across the country can afford right now are higher bills just as they are finally feeling as if they have turned the corner following the extended economic downturn. Legal experts, including President Obama's own law professor, Laurence Tribe have testified that the proposal raises grave constitutional questions, exceeds EPA's statutory authority, and violates the Clean Air Act. In fact, Professor Tribe equated the administration's action to ``burning the Constitution.'' Low-income households and those on fixed incomes get hit the hardest when electric bills go up. In Michigan, there are nearly 2 million lower-income and middle-income families--representing 52% of the state's households. Unfortunately, the costs of this proposed rule would fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable. Small businesses would also face increased electricity costs that could harm their bottom line.…”