Governor McCrory Criticizes Overreaching Regulations That Will Raise Consumer Power Bills | Eastern NC Now

    Raleigh, N.C.     Governor Pat McCrory said today the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new regulations on electric power plants will increase power bills for North Carolina consumers and threaten job creation while doing little to improve the state's air quality.

    "Not only will these new federal rules raise electricity rates," Governor McCrory said, "they have the potential to jeopardize the success we've made in making North Carolina's air the cleanest it's been since we began tracking air quality back in the 1970s."

    North Carolina is on-track for a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. It has done so without federal intrusion while keeping energy costs low.

    The new regulations are part of the EPA's final Clean Power Plan rule which will regulate how much carbon dioxide power plants emit.

    The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), like many leading environmental groups have argued in the past, maintains that the EPA has improperly interpreted the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions from coal-fired power plants. Moreover, the EPA's final rule is not based on fundamental engineering principles and instead was created to achieve a predetermined emission reduction goal.

    "The EPA's one-size-fits-all approach fails to consider the unique nature of each state's energy generating system and does not take into account recent measures to reduce emissions," said DENR Secretary Donald van der Vaart. "DENR's initial review of the final rule reveals that it is legally flawed and will not stand up in court."

    The administration plans a legal challenge to the final rule.

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•     govpress@nc.gov