Texas governor takes EPA fight to Washington

Opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX)  today in Washington, D.C. to discuss its potential effects.

“The EPA’s latest attempt at imposing burdensome regulations represents an unprecedented meddling with Texas in order to push the Obama administration's liberal climate change agenda,” Abbott said. “The EPA's newest suite of rules, led by the Clean Power Plan, seeks unprecedented control over the state's energy mix that will certainly result in higher energy prices for Texans and will threaten the reliability of Texas' electric grid." 

Abbott has taken action against the EPA before, first as the state’s Attorney General. Since become governor, he also has fought against new ozone standards that threaten Texas’ economy and a regional haze rule that he sees as unlawful and unconstitutional.

The Clean Power Plan has raised ardent objections from some states and industry groups, who argue that it is an overreach that will inhibit economies.

“During my conversation with Sen. McConnell today, I, along with my fellow Texas leaders, expressed grave concerns that the EPA’s proposed action will burden Texas far more than any other state, killing jobs and stagnating Texas' unprecedented economic growth, and I offered my full support for his efforts to fight this federal government overreach,” Abbott said.