House Dem presses Virginia AG for explanation of EPA criticism

By Andrew Restuccia - 11/08/11 04:38 PM ET

The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wants Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli to back up his claims that a pending Environmental Protection Agency air pollution regulation will cost hundreds of thousands of jobs and drastically increase electricity prices.

Cuccinelli, a climate skeptic and vocal critic of EPA, told the committee last week that EPA’s pending air toxics rules for power plants — known as the utility maximum available control technology (MACT) rules — will increase electricity prices by as much as 35 percent and kill 180,000 jobs per year from 2013 to 2020.

Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the panel, blasted Cuccinelli in a letter Tuesday for not including in his testimony citations that explain where he got his figures.

“Your claims appear to contradict reputable studies and analyses that predict only minor increases in electricity prices and net job gains,” Cummings wrote in the letter. “Even more peculiar is that your claims also appear to exaggerate even the potential negative impacts predicted by industry studies on which you presumably rely.”

Cummings called on Cuccinelli to correct his testimony if he is unable to back up his figures with reputable studies.

“Congress relies on the accuracy of data presented in official testimony to make effective policy determinations,” he said. “If your testimony improperly exaggerated the potential negative effects of the Air Toxics rule, even as predicted by industry sources, it is important that you correct it as soon as possible.”

The utility MACT rules require power plants to install technologies aimed at limiting mercury and other air toxics. Republicans have long blasted the pending regulations, which EPA plans to finalize in the coming months. The House GOP passed legislation in September to block the rules.

But EPA maintains that the regulations offer duel health and economic benefits. The agency estimates that the rules will prevent as many as 17,000 premature deaths.