RICHMOND – The President and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Barry DuVal issued the following statement regarding the rollout of Clean Power Plan regulations today from the EPA:
“The EPA’s proposed greenhouse gas regulations for new and existing power plants will make America’s electric grid less diverse, less reliable and more expensive. This, in turn, will threaten our international competitiveness.
Today’s proposal includes numerous changes from the rule that was first proposed in June 2014, that the Virginia Chamber intends to thoroughly review and comment on in the coming weeks. At the outset, however, it is clear that EPA’s modest changes to interim compliance timelines do nothing to address fundamental underlying problems with the regulation. The Virginia Chamber is committed to working with our Congressional delegation and Governor McAuliffe to ensure the serious economic harms from this sweeping regulation are not fully realized.
America’s abundance of affordable, reliable energy provides businesses a critical operating advantage in today’s intensely competitive global economy. Unfortunately, this advantage is threatened by the Environmental Protection Agency’s roll out today of its Clean Power Plan.”
With more than 22,600 members, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce is the Commonwealth’s largest business advocacy organization. In collaborative engagement with over 7,000 business and community leaders in Virginia, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce has developed Blueprint Virginia: A Business Plan for the Commonwealth, a comprehensive initiative to provide business leadership, direction, and long-range economic development planning for Virginia.
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce recognizes the need to create a balanced, sustainable energy policy that supports economic development and job growth while meeting the growing needs of Virginia’s population and business community. Blueprint Virginia promotes an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that ensures the continued availability of reliable and affordable energy for American families and businesses while also protecting the environment.
