{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.daines.senate.gov/news/press-releases/daines-coal-keeps-the-lights-on", "Daines: Coal Keeps the Lights On", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Republican", "House", "MT", "Steve Daines", "D000618", "www.daines.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.17.15\n\t\t\t Daines: Coal Keeps the Lights On \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tThe Obama administration's war on energy isn't just a war on coal  it's a war on American jobs, American families and our national security.\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. Ahead of today's vote to fully nullify President Obama's so-called Clean Power Plan, Senator Steve Daines took to the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to join him in standing up for American energy independence.\r\n\r\nClickhereto watch Daines' remarks.\r\nClickhereto download Daines' remarks.\r\nLater tonight, the Senate is expected to pass two bipartisan resolutions disapproving of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed Clean Power Plan regulations on new and existing power sources. The Congressional Review Act resolutions of disapproval will block the Obama administration's regulations on new and existing coal-fired power plants. \r\nCoal keeps the lights on. It will continue to power the world for decades to come. In Montana, it provides more than half our electricity,Daines stated. Rather than dismissing this reality, the United States should be on the cutting edge of technological advances in energy development. We should be leading the way in powering the world, not disengaging. Unfortunately, President Obama's out-of-touch regulations take us in the opposite direction. It's exciting to see bipartisan effort in the Senate to stop the President's job-killing regulations on affordable energy.\r\nDaines is anoriginal cosponsorof both bipartisan resolutions of disapproval. The resolutions only require a simple majority to pass.\r\nDaines has long fought to protect Montana jobs and access to low-cost energy from the Obama administration's overreach.Daines is anoriginal cosponsorof theAffordable Reliable Energy Now Act(ARENA),which holds the EPA accountable and protects states' rights by requiring the EPA to demonstrate how their proposed regulations could impact each state.\r\nIn April, Daines took EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to task for pushing forward new EPA carbon regulations without fully consulting affected states and tribes or addressing the plan's detrimental impacts on coal production and jobs in Montana.\r\nDaines delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:\r\nThe Obama administration's war on energy isn't just a war on coal  it's a war on American jobs, American families and our national security.\r\nThat's why it's no surprise that the President's anti-energy agenda is gaining opposition from both sides of the aisle.\r\nI'm thankful for the bipartisan leadership demonstrated by Leader McConnell, Senator Capito  two Republicans  as well as Senator Manchin and Senator Heitkamp  two Democrats  in standing up against the President's harmful regulations on our nation's coal-fired power plants.\r\nAnd I'm proud have joined them as a co-sponsor of the two bipartisan resolutions to stop the EPA from imposing its anti-coal regulations.\r\nThe Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval we are considering today will block the Obama administration's regulations on existing coal-fired plants.\r\nWe're also seeing strong opposition from more than half of the states in the country  including my home state of Montanathat, through three different lawsuits, have requested an initial stay on the rule.\r\nThe Obama Administration's reckless agenda is shutting down coal-fired power plants across the United States. It's killing family wage jobs for union workers and tribal members in my state of Montana and it's stifling investments that could lead to innovation to make coal cleaner here in the United States.\r\nPresident Obama calls it the Clean Power Plan, that's not named correctly. It should be called the Unaffordable Energy Plan.'The Unaffordable Energy Plan' will have a negligible impact on global coal demand and global emissions.\r\nBut itwilllead to devastating consequences for affordable energy and good-paying union and tribal jobs.\r\nHere are the facts: the United States mines just 11 percent of world's coal and consumes only 10.5 percent of world's coal. Said another way, approximately 90 percent of the world's coal is consumed outside the United States.\r\nGlobal demand for coal-fired energy will not disappear even if the United States were to shut down every last coal mine and coal-fired power plant.\r\nCoal use around the world has grown about four times faster than renewables.\r\n1,200 coal plants are planned across 59 countries, with about three-fourths in China and India.\r\nChina consumes 4 billion tons per year  four times the United States' 1 billion.\r\nChina is building a new coal plant every 10 days for the next 10 years.\r\nLook at Japan for example. After the great quake there in Japan, they lost their nuclear power capability. Japan is currently building 43 coal-fired power plants.\r\nAnd by 2020, India may have built 2.5 times as much coal capacity as the U.S. is about to lose.\r\nThe Obama administration's reckless war on energy will have little impact on global emissions.\r\nBut here's what it will do. It will devastate significant parts of our economy, causing energy bills to skyrocket, a loss of tax revenue for our schools and roads and destroying family-wage union and tribal jobs.\r\nIf this rule moves forward, countless coal-fired power plants, like Colstrip Power Plant in Montana, will likely be shuttered, putting thousands of jobs at risk.It also makes new coal-fired plants incredibly difficult to build.\r\nCoal keeps the lights on. It will continue to power the world for decades to come.\r\nIn Montana, it provides more than half our electricity. I've told my kids we have four children  when they plug in their iPhones, odds are it's coal that's providing power to their phones.\r\nRather than dismissing this reality, the United States should be on the cutting edge of technological advances in energy development. We should be leading the way in powering the world, not disengaging.\r\nUnfortunately, President Obama's out-of-touch regulations take us in the opposite direction.\r\nThe people who can afford it the least will be impacted the greatest.\r\nI urge my Senate colleagues to join in this bipartisan effort to stop the President's job-killing regulations on affordable energy.\r\nJoin us in standing up for American energy independence. With what we've seen happen in the world in the last week, our national security and energy independence are tied together.\r\nStand up for American jobs. Stand up for hardworking American families.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.daines.senate.gov/news/press-releases/daines-coal-keeps-the-lights-on"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8156318217515945, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}