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What They Are Saying About President Trump’s Executive Order on Energy Independence

03/30/2017
Contact Information: 
Press Office (press@epa.gov)

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va)*
President Trump kept his promise to roll back one of the most harmful acts of overreach by the Obama administration – the so-called Clean Power Plan. If fully implemented, the Clean Power Plan would have completely decimated West Virginia’s vital coal industry while having no meaningful climate impact. Stopping this disastrous plan will preserve America’s coal industry, expand our manufacturing renaissance that is reliant upon affordable energy, and protect American families from unprecedented hikes in their electric bills. I was honored to join the president for the signing of this Executive Order, and I look forward to continuing working with the Trump administration to advance environmentally responsible policies that grow the economy – not kill jobs. (Press Release, 03/28/17)   *A draft released earlier today misattributed a quote from another senator to Senator Capito.

Governor Matt Bevin (Ky.) Issues Statement on the American Energy Independence Executive Order Yesterday
I applaud President Trump’s signing of the American energy independence executive order. This order will roll back former President Obama’s job killing and deceptively named “Clean Power Plan” (CPP), which was not based on sound science. Even the former EPA administrator admitted that the CPP would have had negligible effect on global temperatures. In stark contrast, President Trump’s American energy independence executive order will require the EPA to remain within the legal boundaries of the Clean Air Act in the actions it takes. This order demonstrates a more common sense approach to the role that our abundant fossil fuel resources can play in our nation’s energy portfolio.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (W.Va.)
We appreciate the Trump administration working to protect American families and businesses from the potentially devastating impacts of the Clean Power Plan. Today’s announcement is welcome news for electric cooperatives across the nation seeking flexibility and fairness -- but it’s not yet the end of the journey. Now that President Trump has issued his executive order, we look forward to EPA undoing this rule and taking a closer look at other current regulations.

American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
ACCCE commends President Trump for withdrawing bad regulations that are hurting our economy. The Clean Power Plan is the poster child for regulations that are unnecessarily expensive and have no meaningful environmental benefit. We look forward to working with EPA Administrator Pruitt to develop sensible policies that protect the environment without shutting down more coal-fueled power plants, one of our most resilient and affordable sources of electricity. President Trump’s executive order should be welcome news for America’s middle class and those living in poverty, who would be hardest hit by the previous administration's harmful climate regulations. Americans depend on affordable, reliable electricity for their livelihood, but regulations like the Clean Power Plan would send electricity prices skyrocketing.

American Petroleum Institute welcomes the Trump administration’s executive order on Energy Independence
API President and CEO Jack Gerard called President Trump’s “Energy Independence” executive order an important step forward in restoring common sense regulations that are needed to advance the U.S. energy renaissance. Today’s action by President Trump is an important step toward increasing American competitiveness and recognizing that our industry is part of the solution to advancing U.S. economic and national security goals. Smart, common sense and science-based guidance and regulations will help our nation’s energy renaissance continue to provide benefits for American consumers, workers and the environment.

American Public Power Association Statement on President Trump’s American Energy Independence Executive Order
The American Public Power Association supports President Trump’s executive order calling for a reexamination of the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions from new and existing fossil fuel-fired power plants. Few disagree that these rules envisioned broad and transformative changes to the electricity industry. As the voice of utilities that are units of state and local government, the Association firmly believes that states should maintain the authority to plan and implement generation and energy policies that are suitable for their circumstances. Public power has previously voiced its legal objection to the rule for requiring utilities to fundamentally alter the way they generate electricity. In some cases, utilities would have been forced to abandon functional power plants while continuing to pay them off.

Electric Co-ops Applaud Trump Clean Power Plan Executive Order
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) CEO Jim Matheson today issued the following statement on President Trump’s executive order on the Clean Power Plan:
Affordable and reliable power is fundamental to a successful economy. We appreciate the Trump administration working to protect American families and businesses from the potentially devastating impacts of the Clean Power Plan. Today’s announcement is welcome news for electric cooperatives across the nation seeking flexibility and fairness – but it’s not yet the end of the journey. Now that President Trump has issued his executive order, we look forward to EPA undoing this rule and taking a closer look at other current regulations. Today’s announcement is an important step toward protecting our cooperatives and millions of Americans from the costly impacts of the CPP as co-ops continue innovating and moving toward cleaner energy production.

Energy & Environment Legal Institute
President Trump’s decisive action lets everyone know this unlawful, job-killing regulation will find no support in his administration. That’s a tremendous relief for every coal miner and family that depends upon coal’s success. It also underscores the importance of our achievement in halting the rule’s enforcement, while reinforcing the Supreme Court’s message -- proponents of the Power Plan should put their pencils down.

IPAA Welcomes President Trump’s Executive Order Tackling Costly, Duplicative Energy Regulations
Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President and CEO Barry Russell today joined President Donald Trump for the signing ceremony of the Energy Independence executive order. Mr.   Russell issued the following statement after the ceremony: Today’s action by President Trump calls on his administration to review existing federal agency policies that have held back American energy production, rescinding rules that have limited our economic growth with little benefit. This common sense action stands to provide clear benefits for the economy, consumers, and the environment.

Indiana Coal Council Reaction to President’s Executive Order on the Clean Power Plan
Bruce Stevens, president of the Indiana Coal Council, released this statement today following President Trump's executive action regarding the Clean Power Plan. Stevens was invited by the White House to be present for the signing of the executive order. Today is a victory that extends far beyond just the coal industry. This is a victory for the state's economy and every Hoosier household. It's the beginning of relief from regulations that have intentionally disadvantaged the coal industry and our electric-energy generation. The Clean Power Plan provided no real environmental advantage, yet posed significant harm to our economy. There is a better way forward, and today's action helps to re-energize a focus on innovation over costly and unnecessary regulations.

NMA Applauds Executive Order Targeting the Costly Power Plan and the Coal Moratorium
The National Mining Association (NMA) today applauded President Trump’s executive order on the costly Clean Power Plan (CPP) and the Department of the Interior moratorium on federal coal leasing. The order begins the process to unwind the CPP, the Obama administration’s signature climate change regulation that was stayed by the Supreme Court one year ago. Lifting the federal coal moratorium would remove the cloud over future investments in a coal region responsible for 40 percent of the U.S. coal supply. The clean power plan and the moratorium served the interests of political activists, not the American people. The president’s actions today help to restore common sense priorities and the important balance between costs and benefits that have been missing from federal regulatory policies.

Ohio Coal Association -- President Trump Dismantles Job Killing “Clean Power Plan”
The following statement may be attributed to Christian Palich, President of the Ohio Coal Association, regarding President Trump’s Executive Order today dismantling the “Clean Power Plan”: With today’s executive order President Trump has honored his pledge to stand with energy consumers and Ohio coal country over radical environmentalists. Mr. Obama’s alleged “Clean Power Plan” would’ve done virtually zero to protect the environment while at the same time destroying thousands of jobs and costing families billions of dollars for decades to come. It’s a much brighter future for the coal industry as this administration continues to systematically end the war on coal.

President Trump Delivers Decisive Win on Regulations: NAM CEO Joins President Trump at EPA for Executive Order Signing 
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons today joined President Donald Trump at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where the president signed an executive order rolling back several energy regulations impeding manufacturers’ ability to succeed: Manufacturers use one-third of the energy in the United States, which means we need an all-of-the-above policy approach to energy, not one that picks winners and losers. President Trump just delivered a decisive win for every American who wants to see more manufacturing jobs in our country and true energy security. For years, Washington has sold a false choice to the American people: choose the environment or jobs. That false choice today gives way to a ‘show-and-tell’ story—about our ability to protect the environment and create jobs simultaneously—that manufacturers are eager to lead. American families have suffered at the hands of far-reaching regulations; 297,696 federal restrictions on manufacturers alone have stifled job creation and reduced the capital that is spent on innovating new technologies to improve our environment even more.

U.S. Chamber’s Donohue Praises President Trump’s Commitment to Making Regulatory Relief and Energy Security a Top Priority
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue issued the following statement today on President Trump’s Energy Independence executive order: America got good news today when President Trump took bold steps to make regulatory relief and energy security a top priority. American energy resources give us a competitive advantage in the global economy, and the president’s effort to capitalize on those resources is vital to stimulating economic growth. These executive actions are a welcome departure from the previous administration’s strategy of making energy more expensive through costly, job-killing regulations that choked our economy. There is every reason to believe that the federal government will no longer seek to punish American consumers and businesses for using the energy resources that fuel our economy. It is clear that the new administration will not be in the business of picking winners and losers in America’s energy portfolio.

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