Washington, D.C. – Today, Senator Mark R. Warner, with six Senate colleagues, expressed their deep concerns with and asked for a reassessment of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) for carbon dioxide emissions from new affected fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating units.

Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), and Mark Pryor (D-AR) joined Senator Warner in sending a letter to the President.

The seven senators wrote, “We are committed to improving air quality; however, the emission standards in the proposed rule are not based on technology that has been adequately demonstrated on a commercial scale…We urge you to reassess the proposal and consider the full implications of enacting the regulation in its current form.

“…Understanding that affordable energy from coal will remain an important part of the world’s economy, it is necessary for us to adopt the right policies and regulations that encourage long-term investment in further emissions reduction technologies and efficiencies.”

The senators urged the Administration to “evaluate more appropriate ways to regulate emissions in order to truly support the development of CCS and other clean coal technologies. Long-term thinking is essential to ensure that every U.S. citizen will have access to affordable and reliable energy while encouraging energy solutions that lower our carbon footprint. By working together to develop smart regulations, this can be achieved.”

To see a copy of the signed letter, click here. Full text of the letter is below.