The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., has scheduled an Oct. 29 hearing to examine the effects of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory actions on jobs and local communities particularly reliant upon the coal industry.
The hearing will be called “EPA’s Regulatory Threat to Affordable, Reliable Energy: The Perspective of Coal Communities.” The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Republican majority, which has been vocal in its criticism of EPA’s regulatory initiatives, said that also on Oct. 29, hundreds of workers and families from communities across America will rally at the U.S. Capitol to urge the Obama Administration to put the brakes on its “destructive regulatory agenda.”
“As the source of nearly 40 percent of the nation’s electric generation, coal is a critical part of an ‘all-of-the-above’ American energy strategy,” said the GOP majority in an Oct. 22 announcement about the hearing. “But this critical power source is being threatened by EPA’s costly regulations. EPA’s actions have already contributed to the announced closure of more than 200 coal-fired power plants and the expected loss of tens of thousands of jobs. The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is continuing its investigation into the impact of EPA’s actions on jobs and the economy with a look at how these regulations are affecting local communities. Community leaders, workers and others will testify about their experience with EPA’s regulatory impact on local families, businesses, and governments.”
Said Murphy: “Left unchecked, EPA has the potential shut down America’s coal industry and push these communities further into poverty. Next week, we will have the opportunity to hear firsthand from members of these communities who are suffering from the consequences of EPA’s damaging regulations.”
