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Tennessee among states hardest hit by EPA regulations

Tennessee’s electric cooperatives call for consumers to take action.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee’s electric cooperatives express concern following the release of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed guidelines that will limit emissions from thousands of existing power plants, including 11 coal plants operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“Estimates indicate that Tennessee will be among the hardest hit by the state requirements, calling for a 38 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030,” says David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “These regulations will hurt Tennessee families, and we are just beginning to understand how severe the impacts will be.”

Tennessee has already taken significant steps to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. “The average monthly residential energy use in Tennessee has fallen 16 percent since 2010, and TVA has reduced its carbon emissions by 30 percent since 2005,” says Callis.

“It is important that we make our voices heard. Affordable energy and a strong Tennessee economy depend on an all-of-the-above approach to energy generation.”

The EPA will hold a 120-day public comment period, and you can submit your comments to the EPA by visiting takeactionTN.com.

“The economic challenges faced by many cooperative members make it critical that EPA regulatory programs be cost effective and provide environmental benefits that exceed the implementation and compliance costs,” says Callis.

The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association is a trade group representing the interests of Tennessee’s 23 electric distribution cooperatives and the 1.1 million rural and suburban consumers they serve. The association publishes The Tennessee Magazine and provides legislative and support services to Tennessee’s electric cooperatives. Learn more at tnelectric.org.

 

Contact:
Trent Scott | [email protected] | 731.608.1519

2 replies
  1. Steve
    Steve says:

    All new regulations should be stopped and certainly the war on coal should stop. Congress should direct the EPA to advise and place enforcement and regulations back in the States control. Any EPA challenge should be required to go through a Federal Judge, as it was in the past. There is a point of diminishing return and the EPA crosses that line and does not care. The hundreds of years of coal we have should be used, updates to plants should be incremental and we should use all resources to reduce electricity costs. Lower electricity costs will bring and keep US jobs and the economic impact on citizens should be considered too. We need the environmental cultists out of the EPA. Support the increase of natural gas and nuclear to support future needs.

    Reply

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  1. Anonymous says:

    […] will affect every state and the effect will be higher electric cost and likely less reliability. http://tnelectric.org/2014/06/02…a-regulations/ This is not meant to be political in anyway. We do need to speak up while we can. […]

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