KANSAS CITY, KS, Feb. 11, 2016 — Newton B. Jones, President of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers, AFL-CIO and CLC, today issued the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to stay the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan.
The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to temporarily halt implementation of the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan by issuing a stay order as requested by 15A778 MURRAY ENERGY CORP., ET AL. V. EPA, ET AL.
While we understand that this is just a step in the overall litigation process, we believe the Supreme Court’s decision to stay this sweeping regulation, pending disposition of the petitions for review in the D.C. Circuit Court, was the correct one.
Our organization has always been committed to the responsible use of fossil fuels, including advocating for more robust investments in Carbon Capture Storage & Usage (CCSU), while maintaining our nation’s ability to meet base load power demand, grid reliability, and affordable, reliable energy for American consumers and businesses.
In our view, both the Clean Power Plan and the companion rule issued by the U.S. EPA on new fossil-fuel power plants will do virtually nothing to truly address long-term, global carbon emissions but will do substantial and irreparable harm to the U.S. economy, our overall energy sector, and, most importantly for us, to the highly-skilled members of our union who work tirelessly, year in and year out, to ensure that our power plants are the safest and most efficient in the world.
Regardless of the outcome of this litigation, we will continue to engage with Congress on solutions that we feel will more effectively address climate change. And we urge presidential candidates to publicly signal their willingness to have a more rational discussion on the use of fossil fuels instead of simply advocating the misguided ideology of radical environmentalists.
