Legislation Protects Jobs, Environment, Ratepayers

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), representing thousands of workers at coal-burning power plants throughout the United States, strongly supports the Fair Compliance Act of 2011 just introduced by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Dan Coats (Rep. IN).

The proposed legislation would provide utilities with a reasonable timeline to comply with two recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Rules, the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSARP), and the Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology Rules (Utility MACT).

"If these rules stand as they are, the unreasonable deadlines will result in the closing of numerous coal plants, force the layoff of many of our members, cause dramatic increases in electricity rates, and jeopardize the stability of the electric grid," said UWUA President D. Michael Langford. "The Fair Compliance Act will not change the stringency of the EPA rules in any way, rather, it allows utilities to meet the requirements to reduce pollutants while creating new middle class jobs, protecting consumers and securing the nation's grid. This is common sense legislation," Langford added.

The Manchin-Coats bill would require utilities to comply with the new EPA rules by January 1, 2017, an extra 2-3 years for final compliance. The legislation would also coordinate the now numerous different compliance dates of the new rules, thus building efficiencies into construction schedules to reduce plant closures and job loss.

The Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), AFL-CIO represents more than 50,000 workers in the energy, nuclear, electric, gas, steam and water industries. The UWUA stands by its motto -- "The members of the UWUA are the safest, best trained, most productive and the highest skilled utility workers in the world."

Contact: Michael Yellin
917-434-6130

SOURCE Utility Workers Union of America

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