Press Release

Governor Parnell Urges EPA and Congress to Re-Think Overreaching Energy Regulations

December 1, 2014

(Juneau, Alaska) – On his last day in office, Governor Sean Parnell continued to fight federal overreach into Alaskans’ lives and businesses. The EPA’s proposed regulations for existing power plants are extremely expensive, particularly for middle and lower class electricity consumers who could end up footing the bill. The “outside-the-fence” measures do not just regulate air emissions from utility plants, but dictate what generation resources could be used to provide electricity in Alaska and reach into consumers’ homes. Congress never gave EPA authority to take over energy policy in the United States.

“Fairbanks residents would be hit by increased energy prices not to mention losing their investment in the Healy coal plants, the cheapest source of energy for the region,” said Governor Parnell. Beyond the cost, EPA never considered the impact on the reliability of electric service in Alaska.

Governor Parnell also warned Alaskans about the last two years of the Obama Administration. “Alaskans will see an agenda of federal regulatory overreach that will touch nearly every aspect of their lives and property. The Obama agenda of tight-fisted control over states and individuals includes 3,415 new regulations, with 130 new sets of regulations from EPA alone. A single EPA regulation can have tremendous impact on Alaskan families and small businesses.”

Governor Parnell said, “I urge the governor-elect and the Alaska Congressional delegation to hold agencies accountable for the regulatory actions of the federal agencies and to use every tool available, as I have, to fight the takeover of our Alaskan way of life by Washington D.C. bureaucrats.”

For more information, please see the comment letter sent to the EPA. For an electronic copy of the Governor's letter, the comment letter and all attachments, contact Assistant Attorney General Cori Mills at cori.mills@alaska.gov.

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.