Dem amendment would block regulations on power plant emissions

The measure is among a flood of hundreds of budget amendments being voted on Friday. Republicans introduced the vast majority of the measures, eight of which target federal regulations.

Manchin is part of a group of coal-country Democrats that has pressed for changes to the New Source Performance Standard, unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency a year ago.

Under the proposed rules, new power plants that burn fossil fuels could release no more than 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt‐hour.

While new natural-gas plants could to meet the standard without additional technology, new coal plants would need to add updated technology to capture and store emissions.

“The new regulations attempt to force standards on coal emissions that would not only be incredibly expensive, but impossible to achieve even with advanced technology,” Manchin said in a statement issued Friday.

He argued that the regulations, part of the Obama administration’s effort to counter the effects of climate change, would not have a tangible benefit.

“After all, experts agree that emissions from all U.S. power plants have only a marginal impact on global emissions, and this already small share is shrinking every year, as China, India, and others dramatically scale up their fossil fuel use,” Manchin said.

If adopted into law, the amendment would block funding to implement the regulations.