RGA Letter On President Obama’s Climate Change Strategy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Vice Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, sent a letter to President Obama today with deep concerns about his administration’s new climate change strategy.

To read a copy of the letter in its entirety, you can do so HERE. An excerpt of Governor Jindal’s and Governor Walker’s letter is below:

“At a time when the American people demand reliable and affordable energy options and American businesses need regulatory certainty in order to prosper and hire, we have strong concerns about the climate change mitigation strategy that you have proposed.

While we agree that there is a need for new energy solutions, we do not agree with your approach. Instead of the top-down regulatory regime that your Administration has proposed, which will have negative impacts on the economy, we should look for better approaches that work for all Americans. Republican governors have continued to lead on domestic energy innovation and we released An Energy Blueprint for America: Policy Solutions for a New Energy Economy demonstrating that the states are the ones best able to decide and debate the path forward on energy.

The importance of fuel diversity in America’s energy portfolio is paramount and your proposal will effectively impede the use of coal for our electricity needs. Your proposal also suggests singling out the oil and natural gas industry for punitive tax treatment. Further, utilities are currently grappling with complying with a series of other environmental regulations previously promulgated by your Administration. We encourage a more judicious approach so that our energy providers can serve the public in a way that is both environmentally, but also economically, sustainable.”