Gov. Pence opposes EPA regulation, gets criticized

Indiana was fourth on the list of states with the highest carbon emissions this past year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

However, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence recently came out in opposition of an EPA regulation that requires all states to reduce emissions from existing power plants 30 percent from 2005’s levels by 2030.

After President Obama and the EPA proposed the changes Monday, Pence released a statement against it.

“The president’s plan today will dramatically raise electricity rates in a way that will be passed onto consumers in the form of higher bills,” Pence said in a press release.
“A typical household could lose $3,400 in disposable income. That will hit our lower-income and younger workers the hardest, hurting those who are trying their best to get ahead.”

The Clean Air Act, implemented in 1990, includes standards for factory emissions of toxic gases, such as mercury.

The act is only now being federally enforced.

As many as 22 Indiana coal-fired power plants will be affected by the enforcement, according to the EPA.

“In Indiana we produce more than 80 percent of our electricity from coal, and more than 3,500 hard-working Hoosiers are employed in the coal industry,” Pence said in the press release. “We are a manufacturing state that is competitive in part based on our low cost of energy. Raising the cost of electricity through these proposed EPA regulations will slow manufacturing and hurt Hoosiers across our economy.”

The Hoosier Environmental Council has publicly criticized Pence for his opposition.

It says Pence’s claims that it will hurt the economy are untrue.

“We’re troubled that the governor, rather than embracing the opportunity to accelerate positive change in Indiana’s electricity market, has resorted to fear mongering that is unbecoming of a governor through hyperbolic statements like the U.S. EPA’s policy is occurring ‘without regard for the impact on the U.S. economy or American workers,’ and ‘will dramatically raise electricity rates,’” Jessie Kharbanda, Hoosier Environmental Council executive director, said in a press release.

Kharbanda said although the changes will affect the economy, the nation has been given enough time to slowly implement changes in a way that will minimize harm.

“Our hand remains extended to the governor and other key leaders to find innovative ways for Indiana, one of the country’s largest carbon emitters, to confront the significant global challenge of climate change,” Kharbanda said.

“Political grandstanding, which is what some of Indiana’s key political leaders are doing, is not a constructive way to deal with a problem that will affect generations of Americans to come.”