House votes to thwart EPA power plant rules

House Republicans on Friday raised the stakes in their battle against EPA regulations by adopting an amendment that would block two power plant pollution rules for at least several years and force the agency to rewrite them.

Lawmakers, in a 234-188 vote, adopted Rep. Ed Whitfield ‘s (R-Ky.) amendment to the TRAIN Act, which would create a new interagency panel to review the cumulative economic effects of a suite of EPA rules.

His amendment would delay for years two regulations in the bill: a recently finalized rule to cut interstate power plant emissions that worsen ozone and particulate pollution and an upcoming rule to cut air toxics, such as mercury, from power plants.

The amendment prevents the EPA from finalizing the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule for roughly four years at a minimum and then provides another three years for implementation. It would also prevent power plant air toxics rules from coming into force for more than a half-dozen years at a minimum.

The amendment also makes other changes that Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, alleges would badly weaken EPA’s ability to control emissions of mercury and other air toxics from power plants.

But Whitfield, who heads the committee's Energy and Power Subcommittee, said through an aide this week that the amendment is needed to prevent regulations that will “devastate our nation’s power sector and lead to plant closures across the country.”

We have more on the amendment here.

The House is expected to pass the Train Act later on Friday, but it's unlikely to advance in the Senate and faces a White House veto threat.