Commissioner Honorable Statement August 3, 2015

EPA’s Significant Clean Power Plan Changes

“I would like to commend the Environmental Protection Agency for reaching this milestone and releasing the final version of the Clean Power Plan. Although I am still reviewing the rule, it is evident that the EPA endeavors to address many concerns it received during the comment period. I appreciate the EPA's continued efforts to engage with stakeholders to understand how the Plan would impact the energy sector. These efforts included sending top EPA officials to all four of our technical conferences earlier this year, along with continued meetings with FERC representatives.

“The agency appears to have made a number of substantial changes to the rule, including extending compliance timelines and adding measures to protect reliability. These changes clearly demonstrate that the EPA listened to feedback from FERC and other stakeholders, and incorporated these suggestions into the final product. The rule should be better because of it.

“Now the hard work begins. No matter what we individually think of the Clean Power Plan, we are obligated to the public we serve to engage and work together—collaboratively and cooperatively. As I have espoused since joining the Commission, collaboration and cooperation are indeed the foundation for our future work. Many states and regions are well on their way to meeting the rule’s objectives. And independent grid operators have suggested that regional approaches may work best for compliance. Over the months and years ahead, I will be focused on doing my part to support this very important effort.

“I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners here, our staff, the EPA, the States and all other stakeholders as implementation begins.”