AFPOK Statement on PSO Regional Haze Case Dismissal

Tuesday, August 13, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AFP-OK Applauds Corporation Commissioners for Rejecting Revised State Implementation Plan for Regional Haze

Today the Oklahoma Chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP-OK) released the following statement regarding the Corporation Commission’s decision to dismiss the EPA-PSO settlement case on EPA regional haze compliance:

“Today’s decision by the Corporation Commission is a victory for ratepayers in a broader war against President Obama’s EPA and its reckless axis with liberal environmental groups like the Sierra Club to forcibly mandate utilities to switch fuels on the backs of ratepayers,” said Matt Ball, AFP-OK State Director. “This hyper-regulatory approach to power generation is anti-free market, burdensome to business and costly for Oklahoma families and businesses.”

“This single regional haze regulation threatens to force Oklahoma ratepayers in PSO service territory to pay 11-20 percent more for the same electricity they currently use, all to comply with a purely aesthetic regulation which has nothing to do with human health. Only now, is the health of Oklahoma families’ pocketbooks being accounted for.

“Furthermore, today demonstrates that when an active citizenry gets engaged, they can affect change. AFP-OK activists applied grassroots pressure and sent almost 4,100 petition letters to state policymakers requesting they reject the revised State Implementation Plan (SIP) for regional haze,” Ball said.

“I appreciate Commissioner Douglas’ statements today, standing up to the federal over-reach of the Obama EPA. The time has come, for an engaged citizenry and those we’ve elected to say ‘enough is enough’ and, as the commissioner said today, to oppose ‘handing the checkbook of Oklahoma ratepayers over to President Obama.’”

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