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Friday, March 20, 2015

White House slams McConnell on EPA

White House slams McConnell on EPA
By Timothy Cama - 03-20-15 08:14 AM EDT

The White House is excoriating Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for advising states to ignore the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) climate rule for power plants.

A spokesman for the Obama administration said it’s in bad form for McConnell to wade into how states deal with the rule’s requirements.

“Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges that we face, and instead of offering solutions, Sen. McConnell’s alternative is an inappropriate and unfounded attempt to dictate state decisions,” said White House spokesman Frank Benenati.

McConnell has been telling state leaders to ignore the EPA rule which, once finalized, would require states to formulate plans to cut carbon emissions from their power sectors.

On Thursday, he wrote directly to state governors to reassure them that they would not be violating the law by ignoring the rule.

The EPA is breaking the law, he reasoned, so states have nothing to fear.

The Obama administration didn’t take kindly to McConnell’s strategy to dismantle one of its landmark regulatory efforts.

“While Sen. McConnell and the other climate deniers in Congress will do everything they can to block or hinder the administration’s progress on climate change, the administration is committed to moving forward to tackle climate change head on because science, history, and the American people are on our side,” Benenati said.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy also hit back against McConnell, saying that her agency would impose compliance plans on states if they do not do it themselves, according to Reuters.

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