June 19, 2019

Manchin Statement On Affordable Clean Energy Rule

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), released the following statement on the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, the Administration’s replacement for the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Under ACE, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gives states a list of "candidate technologies" that can be used to establish standards of performance for fossil fuel power plants offering these plants more flexibility to comply.  

“I never supported the CPP because it required coal plants to install emission controls that were not “commercially proven” at the time. It is unreasonable to ask power plants to utilize technologies that do not yet exist, and penalize them if they don’t. For this reason and others, the regulation became a subject of intense litigation causing further uncertainty for our power sector. While we are still reviewing the final rule and its implications, the rule does offer fossil plants greater compliance flexibility, which I support.  

That said, we cannot be complacent in seeking climate solutions using technology that should be proven through aggressive R&D. That’s why I have introduced the EFFECT Act to pursue the carbon capture technologies that will help achieve meaningful emissions reductions here and abroad without elimination of any fuel. That’s just not how the world turns.

As the United States, we must lead the world in technological innovation so that we - as a global community - can combat climate change. Without a concerted effort from all sectors of the economy and from all nations, our achievements will not get the job done.”