John Siciliano probes for Washington Examiner readers how the next U.S. president might undo President Obama’s counterproductive climate policies.
A Republican president may have to jump through hoops to undo key parts of President Obama’s climate change agenda, but in the end, installing a new commander in chief may prove the easiest option for rolling back contentious emission rules.
Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas appear to be the most up for the job. They are two of the GOP’s more aggressive presidential hopefuls with respect to their plans for repealing the centerpiece of the president’s climate agenda, the Clean Power Plan.
Based on a review of their campaign policies, both candidates have made rolling back the Environmental Protection Agency rules a priority. But Rubio has become the more vocal of the two on repealing the plan once in the Oval Office.
The EPA Clean Power Plan requires states to reduce emissions by a third in the next 15 years. Sixteen states are champing at the bit to sue EPA over the plan in federal court, arguing that the rule oversteps EPA’s authority and violates the Constitution.
Most candidates have some opinion on opposing the Clean Power Plan. Jeb Bush has come out against it, and so has New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. But both are either looking to the courts for guidance, or want EPA to stay the rule and allow the market to dictate how emissions are lowered.
Rubio and Cruz, on the other hand, have been the most specific on moving swiftly to kill the plan as soon as they become president. “As president, I will immediately stop this massive regulation,” says Rubio in a policy statement put out by his campaign.
There are also bills in the House and Senate, including some introduced by Cruz, to delay the plan until all litigation against it has concluded.
