”Just Say No to EPA”
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Del. Rupert “Rupie” Phillips, D-Logan authored a resolution adopted by the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) calling for member states to take action against the Environmental Protection Administration’s Clean Power Plan. The resolution was adopted on July 19 by the energy and environment committee at the four-day annual meeting in Savannah, Georgia.
“Through the Clean Power Plan, the EPA has once again produced another far-reaching, overly burdensome regulation. They’re continually tying the hands coal-producing states and the effects have been absolutely devastating for southern West Virginia.”
Del. Phillips added, “It’s time to draw a line in the sand. The EPA is pushing us around like they are a bunch of punks. I just want the states to stand together and say ‘no.’”
The adopted resolution states, “The Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments finds that EPA’s Clean Power Plan interferes with the sovereign powers of the states to regulate electricity within their borders and to ensure a reliable and affordable supply of electricity for their citizens. Therefore, The Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments urges State Attorneys General to take all legal actions after EPA issues its final Plan to prevent unlawful obligations from being imposed on states, electricity providers, businesses and citizens, up to and including, at each state’s discretion, refusing to submit Clean Power Plan implementation plans to EPA.”
Del. John B. McCuskey, R-Kanawha also attended the conference and supported the measure saying, “As we pass this resolution through the SLC, I am proud to stand with Delegate Rupie Phillips to push back against harmful federal overreach which unfairly targets the hard working men and women of our state’s coal economy. The people of our state don’t want anything extra, they just want a chance to compete, and it is our hope to ensure that these proud people are given the opportunity to continue to power America. The EPA needs to realize that the jobs lost due to their policies are not just statistics, these are real people, and their suffering is real.”
Several other delegates who attended the conference also supported the measure including Del. Gary Howell, R-Mineral; Del. Woody Ireland, R-Ritchie; Del. Joe Statler, R-Monongalia and Del. Mark Zatezalo, R-Brooke.
The Southern Legislative Conference is the largest of four regional legislative groups that operate under the Council of State Governments. It comprises the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
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- On July 23, 2015