Rep. Krysten Sinema votes for Ratepayer Protection Act

Rep. Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) has announced her support for the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act on Wednesday.

The bill would require the availability of a judicial review over any ruling from a government agency, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that would address carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning electric utilities. Two other measures increase the amount of time for a state to comply with federal regulation that would begin 60 days after implementation and would end after final judicial review.

States may also opt out of federal plans if there is a significant risk to reliability of the energy infrastructure system and a risk of rising energy costs to individual households and businesses.

“Arizonans work hard every day to pay their bills and put food on the table, and Washington’s unreasonable regulations shouldn’t stand in their way," Sinema said. “The EPA’s proposed rule would hit Arizona harder than almost any other state, increasing electricity rates and threatening reliability across our state. Today’s reasonable bipartisan legislation gives Arizona control over our electricity system, protects jobs, and keeps electric bills affordable for businesses and hard-working Arizona families.”

The proposed rule from the EPA would require that power plants reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2030.