Quote:Recently, the Texas legislature devoted two days of hearings to the EPA's Clean Power Plan, which was proposed last June. This rule aims to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide from existing power plants by 30 percent. Although opinions widely vary in the testimony, one thing was clear: the EPA's plan assigns to Texas a regulatory burden far greater than any other state. Our state's carbon sin appears to be the creation of the most productive industrial economy in the U.S.

The EPA's Clean Power Plan would impose a low-carbon mandate on Texas almost twice as heavy as the next two states — Florida and Louisiana — combined. Texas generates approximately 11 percent of the country's electricity, but under the EPA's plan, would be obligated to achieve over 18 percent of the national goal. Texas, indeed, consumes more electricity than any other state, but the EPA would demand that Texas reduce CO2 by more than twice its commensurate share.