Ohio lawmaker objects to Obama's carbon plan

Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) has issued the following in regard to President Obama’s recently unveiled “Clean Power Plan:”

"This rule is the Obama administration’s latest, and most brazen, attempt yet to permanently shut down the coal industry – a goal he announced when he was a candidate in 2008," Johnson said.

“The EPA’s so-called ‘Clean Power Plan’ will close power plants across the country, increase electricity prices on families, and cost thousands of Americans their jobs. It’s as simple as that.

“No one – not President Obama, not EPA Director McCarthy, nor any California environmentalist billionaire – cares more about the air we breathe and the water we drink than those of us that live along the Ohio River. But once again, the Obama Administration has shown their outright refusal to strike a balance with common sense, environmentally responsible regulations that don’t result in job losses and higher costs to families.

"Additionally, I believe this act is unconstitutional as it exceeds the statutory authority of the EPA by threatening to withhold federal dollars to states if they fail to comply with this latest Washington mandate.

“Ohio will be hit especially hard by this rule – more job losses in the energy sector, and as electricity prices increase, simple economics tells us it will lead to a rise in the price of many other goods and services. At this point in his administration, it should surprise no one that burdening the public with even more costs is fine with this president, his team, and his supporters in the radical environmentalist movement. This rule is more evidence that President Obama is more interested in his 'legacy' than the concerns of hard-working Ohioans.

In November of 2014, Rep. Johnson was elected to a third term to serve the people of Eastern and Southeastern Ohio. Rep. Johnson retained his seat on the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee that is charged with providing a key role in developing America's energy, healthcare, and telecommunications policies (among others), while providing oversight on the Administration's implementation of these laws. Rep. Johnson also serves on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.