{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://jasonsmith.house.gov//media-center/weekly-capitol-report/capitol-report-war-on-coal", "Capitol Report: War on Coal", "2014-11-21", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Affordable energy options for Missourians may be a thing of the past if President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) place additional burdensome regulations on coal-fired power plants.\u00a0 Coal is an effective, affordable means of energy that keeps Missouri\u2019s utility rates low.\u00a0 Right now, EPA officials are attempting to wage war on coal by eliminating or restricting its use in energy production.\u00a0 This is not only a war on coal; it is an attack on our way of life in rural America.\nFor too long, EPA regulations have unduly burdened all of us who rely on coal-powered energy to competitively operate businesses or farms.\u00a0 Some experts believe the EPA\u2019s proposed carbon rule will be the most expensive regulation in U.S. history.\u00a0 This proposed rule would issue a federal mandate to radically cut carbon emissions, thus penalizing coal power plants and driving up the cost of energy. These costs will not only get passed along to consumers on their utility bill; they also will affect the price of goods as businesses\u2019 costs rise.\nNot only is the Obama administration\u2019s war on coal disastrous economically, it is not supported scientifically.\u00a0 EPA officials continue to ignore requests to publicly provide the scientific evidence it claims supports its recommendations.\u00a0 If the Environmental Protection Agency is going to implement the most expensive rule in U.S. history, it owes the American people a reasonable, proven explanation of why.\u00a0 Yet, they sit silently.\nIf the administration believes a lack of transparency is a good thing for Obamacare, then it is not a surprise that the EPA isn\u2019t being honest about the science behind its recommended regulations. The agency regularly implements costly rules without sharing the evidence that supports them.\u00a0 I think we deserve better and 90 percent of Americans agree. Earlier this week, I voted to require the EPA to release its scientific data so that independent scientists can reproduce the results to ensure rules are fact based versus fiction.\nRegulations without oversight should be rejected.\u00a0 As a member of Congress, I cannot stand idly by while this President threatens the livelihoods of hardworking Missourians. President Obama should stop using his so-called executive authority to impose unfounded, catastrophic regulations and bring these proposals before congress for a full debate.\u00a0\nJoin me in submitting comments to the EPA to protect Missouri\u2019s coal power.\u00a0 Comments are accepted through December 1\u00a0online at https://1.usa.gov/V82AoM.\n\u00a0\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": ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov//media-center/weekly-capitol-report/capitol-report-war-on-coal"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.726721879094839, "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"}