West Virginia Dem unveils bill blocking climate regs

West Virginia Democrat Rep. Nick Rahall is pushing legislation that would block President Obama’s proposal to cut carbon pollution from power plants.

“Last week, the EPA unleashed its latest assault on the jobs and livelihoods of our coal miners,” Rahall said in a statement Tuesday.

{mosads}Rahall is facing a tough reelection battle this year as conservative groups attempt to tie him to President Obama’s climate agenda. West Virginia is prime coal country, making it fertile ground for Republican charges that Obama is waging a “war on coal” with his emissions rules.

Rahall introduced the bill with Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) Tuesday. The legislation, which has 68 cosponsors, would terminate the new rule for existing power plants, a key piece of Obama’s second-term agenda. 

Additionally, rules proposed by the administration in January that cut emissions from future plants would be blocked. It also aims to stop similar rules from going into effect for the next five years unless approved by Congress.

“The EPA needs to get their head out of the clouds and come back down to Earth where the rest of us must live and work.  We don’t need more regulation to solve our energy challenges—we need more innovation,” he added.