Senator Lamar Alexander voted on Tuesday to stop “unrealistic new federal mandates” that would force some new power plants to install expensive equipment that is not commercially viable to reduce carbon emissions, saying the regulations would increase the cost of electricity and hurt jobs in Tennessee and across the country.
“Instead of imposing completely unrealistic new federal mandates for what we don’t want, we should be doubling federal funding for basic energy research for what we do want, which is large amounts of cheap, clean, reliable energy,” Senator Alexander said.
The Congressional Review Act resolution by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expresses Congress’ disapproval of new carbon regulations for new power plants. The resolution passed the Senate by a vote of 52 to 46. Senator Alexander is a cosponsor of the resolution.
Under the Congressional Review Act, the House of Representatives and Senate can vote on a joint resolution of disapproval to stop, with the full force of law, a federal agency from implementing a rule or regulation or issuing a substantially similar regulation without congressional authorization. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is also scheduled to vote on the measures this week. A full House vote has not yet been scheduled. If the resolution passes both chambers, the president can sign the resolution or veto it, which would require a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate to override the president’s veto.