JEFFERSON CITY — State Senator Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, praised the United States Supreme Court’s decision to delay the implementation rules governing the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. The proposed rules would have negatively impacted utility providers, electrical cooperatives, consumers and the state as a whole for decades. The Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday halts the implementation of the EPA’s plan, putting those dangerous efforts on hold for the time being.
“I commend the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the Clean Power Plan standards, and for realizing the disastrous effect this aggressive, ill-thought out rule would have had on our power plants, consumers and especially our local cooperatives. This was a blatant attempt of legal overreach by the EPA,” said Sen. Parson. “Affordable, reliable energy is a cornerstone of any successful economy. These rules would have hurt one of the state’s largest employers, destroyed electrical co-ops, cost Missourians jobs and hiked the energy rates on hard-working citizens. I’m glad common sense ruled the day.”
According to estimates, had the rules gone into effect, the rate of electrical co-op consumers would have increased by about 10 percent within the next four years, and 17 percent by 2025. Others, however, would have seen an increase of 33 percent by 2020, and nearly 50 percent five years after that.
Additionally, many current power plants would have been closed prematurely, by as early the year 2025, despite many having a long useful life and not being completely paid for yet.
“I’d especially like to thank our electrical cooperatives in halting the implementation of this plan,” said Sen. Parson. “Our cooperatives, who are invaluable in providing electricity to rural citizens, submitted more than 305,000 comments to the EPA’s attempt at superseding their legal authority. They deserve our thanks for their concerted effort at stopping a harmful plan from affecting our state.”
Senator Parson spoke on this topic on the floor on the Missouri Senate. You can view his remarks by clicking on the following link https://www.senate.mo.gov/missouri-state-senator-mike-parson-thanks-the-mo-electric-cooperatives-for-fighting-epa/