Bill Text: OH HR282 | 2013-2014 | 130th General Assembly | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: To urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-11-12 - Adopted [HR282 Detail]
Download: Ohio-2013-HR282-Introduced.html
As Introduced
A RESOLUTION
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Bill Title: To urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-11-12 - Adopted [HR282 Detail]
Download: Ohio-2013-HR282-Introduced.html
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Representatives Dovilla, Hill
To urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to | 1 |
hold public listening sessions on proposed | 2 |
regulations targeting carbon dioxide emissions | 3 |
from existing power plants in those states that | 4 |
would be most directly impacted by the | 5 |
regulations. | 6 |
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
WHEREAS, Coal provides affordable, reliable energy that | 7 |
provides low-cost electricity to individuals and businesses across | 8 |
the country. The ten states with the highest percentage of | 9 |
electricity generated from coal in 2012 were West Virginia, | 10 |
Kentucky, Wyoming, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, | 11 |
Nebraska, New Mexico, and Ohio; and | 12 |
WHEREAS, Nearly 78% of all electricity generated in Ohio | 13 |
comes from coal. Ohio is the tenth largest coal-producing state in | 14 |
the nation, and Ohio's coal industry is responsible for | 15 |
approximately 3,000 direct jobs and 33,000 indirect jobs; and | 16 |
WHEREAS, President Barack Obama announced on June 25, 2013, | 17 |
that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) would adopt | 18 |
regulations targeting greenhouse gas emissions from existing | 19 |
coal-fired power plants, with a proposed rule to be released in | 20 |
June 2014 and a final rule adopted in June 2015; and | 21 |
WHEREAS, On September 30, 2013, the USEPA announced that | 22 |
public listening sessions on rulemaking targeting greenhouse gas | 23 |
emissions from existing coal-fired power plants would be held in | 24 |
Boston, Massachusetts; New York City, New York; Philadelphia, | 25 |
Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; Denver, Colorado; Lenexa, Kansas; | 26 |
San Francisco, California; Washington, D.C.; Dallas, Texas; | 27 |
Seattle, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois. The USEPA's | 28 |
announcement of the listening sessions states that "[t]he feedback | 29 |
from these 11 public listening sessions will play an important | 30 |
role in helping USEPA develop smart, cost-effective guidelines | 31 |
that reflect the latest and best information available"; and | 32 |
WHEREAS, None of the eleven public listening sessions | 33 |
announced by the USEPA will be held in any of the ten states with | 34 |
the highest percentage of electricity generated from coal, and | 35 |
none of the sessions will be held in any of the top three | 36 |
coal-producing states. The ten states and the District of Columbia | 37 |
where public listening sessions will be held generate an average | 38 |
of 26% of their electricity from coal; and | 39 |
WHEREAS, Regulatory efforts that could lead to the retirement | 40 |
of additional coal-fired power plants would have a | 41 |
disproportionate impact on jobs, utility rates, and the overall | 42 |
economy in states that rely on coal for a higher percentage of | 43 |
electricity generation; and | 44 |
WHEREAS, The USEPA should use its public listening sessions | 45 |
to hear the potential impact of its regulatory actions in those | 46 |
states where that impact would be the greatest. The USEPA's stated | 47 |
goal of using the listening sessions to help USEPA "develop smart, | 48 |
cost-effective guidelines" cannot be achieved by excluding the | 49 |
views of residents in those states that rely most heavily on coal | 50 |
for electricity generation; now therefore be it | 51 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of | 52 |
Representatives of the 130th General Assembly of the State of | 53 |
Ohio, in adopting this resolution, urge that public listening | 54 |
sessions on rulemaking targeting carbon dioxide emissions from | 55 |
existing power plants should be held in each of the ten states | 56 |
with the highest percentage of electricity generated by coal in | 57 |
2012 and at a time and place that would maximize the ability of | 58 |
individuals to participate; and be it further | 59 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives | 60 |
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the | 61 |
Administrator of the USEPA, the Speaker and Clerk of the United | 62 |
States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and | 63 |
Secretary of the United States Senate, the members of the Ohio | 64 |
Congressional delegation, and the news media of Ohio. | 65 |