Opposition to Energy Mandates Should be Bipartisan
Andre Jacque 6:49 p.m. CST February 19, 2015
During Gov. Scott Walker's State of the State address, he pledged to join several other states in seeking legal action to block the proposed Obama administration energy mandates, including those that would threaten the jobs of coal-fired plants here in Northeastern Wisconsin.
It's the right move, and given the considerable flaws of the EPA's so-called "Clean Power Plan," it shouldn't be a partisan issue, either.
Late last year, I led nearly 50 fellow legislators in opposition to these mandates through a public letter that highlighted their devastating consequences if imposed on Wisconsin.
The Clean Power Plan and its accompanying mandates attempt to use the same obscure, more than 40-year-old provision of the Clean Air Act to essentially force the implementation of a job-killing cap-and-trade program on a state-by-state basis, a federal renewable portfolio standard that will send utility bills skyrocketing and gives no consideration to renewable investments already made, and an energy efficiency standard that is practically unattainable, all in one fell (and very constitutionally dubious) swoop.
As people look beyond the misleading sales pitch the EPA makes about its proposal, they'll discover alarming consequences — including out-of-control energy costs that place our family budgets, manufacturing sector and economy in jeopardy with little or no actual environmental benefit.
Reliable estimates place the average annual household impact of these rules at several hundreds of dollars per year in increased costs, not to mention the catastrophic consequences of the loss of thousands of family-supporting jobs at Wisconsin's coal-fired energy plants, and potentially shutting down about half of our state's coal-fired generating capacity at a point when more than 60 percent of our baseload generation comes from coal.
This fight is critical to Wisconsin's economy and our country's future.
Find out more: http://www.maciverinstitute.com/research/2015/01/the-economic-effects-of-the-new-epa-rules-on-the-state-of-wisconsin/
State Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, represents the 2nd Assembly District.