WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), announced he will join efforts to defeat a new Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule, introduced today by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) that could force a number of power plant closures, increase electricity rates and destroy countless jobs. 

“The EPA is using junk science and economic slight-of-hand to justify unnecessary, heavy-handed, job-killing rules. The agency continues cooking the books to produce the results it wants and the American people should be very skeptical of the agency’s claims,” Boozman said. “Americans are exposed to mercury from industries in China and other countries with poor environmental standards.  Driving up our own energy costs destroys our manufacturing industries and helps foreign competitors who couldn’t care less about reducing air pollution.” 

American families will foot the $11 billion price tag to implement this rule that the EPA predicts this will force up to 20 percent of America's coal-fired power capacity to shut down. 

Although EPA claims the rule is designed to reduce mercury emissions, according to EPA’s own analysis, more than 98% of the alleged benefits from these regulations have nothing to do with reduced air toxics. Instead, EPA uses false assumptions to inflate the secondary benefits, or “co-benefits,” it say will just happen to occur as a result of the rule. Specifically, the EPA makes the false assumption that there is no decrease in the marginal benefits as the levels of emissions fall far below levels that are scientifically recognized as safe. 

“This deceptiong by the EPA will not trick the American people, who will soon recognize that ‘skyrocketing’ energy costs will mean higher costs for food and other household supplies, and the loss of energy-intensive manufacturing jobs,” Boozman said. “As a strong supporter of prudent and appropriate environmental protections, including proper implementation of the Clean Air Act, I believe the EPA’s tactics need to be exposed, and the agency needs to be held accountable.  Instead of deceiving the American people, EPA should focus on legitimate threats to health and the environment.” 

Read how Dr. David Kreutzer, at the Heritage Foundation, explained the flaws in the EPA’s analysis.