[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 10, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S760-S761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CLEAN POWER PLAN REGULATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now on yet another matter, a few years 
ago the Obama administration rolled out a massive regulatory scheme 
they dubbed a ``Clean Power Plan,'' an odd choice, given that it would 
not have a meaningful impact on global emissions or the health of our 
planet. Here is what those massive regulations likely would do, though: 
ship middle-class jobs overseas, punish the poor, impose more pain on 
Kentucky coal families who just want to put food on the table--all for 
the sake, one must assume, of letting well-off folks on the left feel 
better about themselves for ``doing something.''
  It is pretty clear that the administration's energy regulations 
threaten a lot of middle-class pain for hardly any substantive 
environmental gain. There is another huge problem too. These 
regulations are, in my view, likely illegal. Yesterday's Supreme Court 
order is just the latest sign of that. If nothing else, it shows we 
were right to let Governors know their options. We thought Governors 
should know they could take a wait-and-see approach before locking 
their States into some massive regulatory scheme. We thought Governors 
should know the economic jeopardy they would place their States in by 
moving ahead without a clearer understanding first of what might be 
legally required. We thought Governors should not feel bullied by the 
heavy hand of this administration. That cautious approach was the most 
responsible one, in my view. Yesterday's decision shows it was a 
prudent one as well. We will see what the Supreme Court ultimately 
decides, but we are going to keep fighting against these regressive 
regulations regardless.

  It is worth remembering how we got here in the first place. President 
Obama tried to push a regressive, anti-middle class energy tax through 
a Democratic-controlled Congress, and his own party said no. That was 
in 2010 when Democrats controlled the Senate. They said no. He simply 
went around Congress to impose a similarly regressive plan anyway.
  Kentuckians in the eastern part of my State are experiencing a severe 
depression--a depression that policies

[[Page S761]]

such as these are only making worse. I have repeatedly invited Gina 
McCarthy and the President to my home State to see the devastation 
firsthand. They have yet to accept. But even if they won't come to us, 
we have brought the concerns of Kentuckians directly to them. For 
example, we have brought constituents to administration hearings in 
Washington to try to make people here listen.
  I put myself on the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior so 
that I could have a stronger influence in the oversight of the EPA 
budget. It has given me the opportunity to shed light on the struggles 
of my home State and question officials like Gina McCarthy. It has 
given me the chance to push for policy riders in legislation that would 
undermine or overturn these regulations in their entirety. I have 
repeatedly done so and will continue to do so. I have also worked 
successfully with Members of both parties to pass measures through 
Congress that would also overturn these anti-middle class regulations 
in their entirety.
  President Obama pulled out all the stops to defeat previous attempts 
to pass riders. He vetoed the bipartisan measures we passed through 
Congress. But he cannot stop the Supreme Court from making the right 
decision, as we hope it ultimately will. He also cannot stop the 
American people from electing a successor who is ready to support the 
middle class.
  Here is the bottom line. I think we owe it to the people under attack 
to represent them and to stand up on their behalf. The Americans whom 
these regulations attack have committed no crime. They have done 
nothing wrong. They are human beings with families. It is about time we 
had an administration that treated them that way. Until then, we will 
keep fighting and we will celebrate important progress along the way, 
just as we did with yesterday's Supreme Court action.

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