Today’s White House Action is a Win for Job Creation and Economic Growth

Releases Statement on President Trump’s Energy Independence and Economic Growth Executive Order

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz today released the following statement praising the Trump Administration’s executive action to roll back a number of costly Obama-era climate regulations, including the Clean Power Plan, the rules for new power plants, and the methane rule:

“Today’s executive order is a huge victory for Texans and Americans in every corner of our nation. President Trump should be commended for rolling back these regulations that were intended to effectively eliminate coal power plants and drive up the price of certain key forms of energy. Excessive regulations like these, that pick winners and losers and force Americans to use certain types of energy, harm job creation and slow economic growth.

“All of us want clean water and clean air, but we shouldn’t have to choose between a clean environment and a healthy, growing economy. The previous administration’s effort to regulate our energy sector by executive fiat should be a lesson that regulations that impact the lives of every American should be approved by Congress, not imposed by the unelected bureaucracy. In fact, Congress should return much of the environmental rulemaking and regulation to the states, whose regulators are closer to the people and have a better understanding of their own state’s economy and environmental conditions.

“Over the last eight years, regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions cost more than $457 billion, which is more than $3,350 per household. The United States should be focusing on pro-growth policies that encourage competition and create consumer choice. This action by the president today is a significant and powerful step in unleashing the American Energy Renaissance.”