[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 103 (Thursday, June 25, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E975-E976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RATEPAYER PROTECTION ACT OF 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 2015

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2042) to 
     allow for judicial review of any final rule addressing carbon 
     dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric 
     utility generating units before requiring compliance with 
     such rule, and to allow States to protect households and 
     businesses from significant adverse effects on electricity 
     ratepayers or reliability:

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this attempt to 
weaken our first real shot at reducing the harmful carbon pollution 
that is contributing to global climate change and endangering our 
communities.
  Last month was the hottest May on record. Last year was the hottest 
year. We've already seen extreme weather events across the globe--from 
unprecedented flooding in Texas to deadly drought in India. This is not 
a coincidence. It is not a fluke. It is a real trend identified by 
ninety-seven percent of climate scientists worldwide. And it requires 
our urgent action to protect our constituents and our environment.
  It is past time. And when skeptics in this Congress refused to 
acknowledge reality and refused to take any steps to prevent disaster, 
the President used his authority under the Clean Air Act to reduce 
carbon emissions, which are a leading contributor to climate change. 
His proposed Clean Power Plan is a flexible framework for states to cut 
carbon pollution from power plants for the first time. It's a plan that 
sets goals, provides options, and lets states figure out what works 
best for them.
  But today we are considering a bill that would undermine the very 
structure of the Clean Air Act. Currently, when states refuse or fail 
to fulfill their obligations to reduce pollution under the Clean Air 
Act, the federal government has the obligation to step in to put 
forward a plan that would meet the law's requirements. This federal 
backstop is a critical part of our nation's environmental laws. Today's 
legislation would allow states to ``opt out'' of a federal plan, giving 
them the authority to ignore their responsibility to comply with the 
rule

[[Page E976]]

and leaving their residents without protection from carbon pollution.
  Moreover, we are considering this bill before the Clean Power Plan is 
even finalized. The EPA is in the process of considering input from 
many states to refine the proposal before putting forward a final rule. 
This bill would simply delay efforts to reduce air pollution.
  Mr. Speaker, just last week the Pope called on all of us to live up 
to our moral responsibility to act on climate change to protect our 
communities, our environment, and the most vulnerable among us. We 
should heed that call, reject this bad bill, and work together to 
prevent the most damaging impacts of climate change.

                          ____________________