Dive Brief:
- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) will serve as chairman of the Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, which oversees EPA regulations established under the Clean Air Act.
- The first term senator was given the seat last Thursday by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports.
- Capito served in the House of Representatives for 14 years and was elected to the Senate in 2014. and the senator has promised to fight for the state's coal industry.
Dive Insight:
Sen. Inhofe announced last week that Capito would chair the Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, which oversees EPA regulations including rules to curb carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. In a statement announcing the post, the two lawmakers sounded an all-out attack on regulations targeting the coal industry.
“I am deeply grateful to Senator Inhofe for entrusting me with this responsibility," Capito said in a statement. "I cannot think of a set of issues more important to the people of West Virginia. This role puts me in a strong position to fight back against the war on West Virginia coal and the EPA’s overreach, which has expanded into our entire energy and manufacturing sectors."
Inhofe said Capito will work to counter the "Administration's War On Coal," and fight against the EPA's "unnecessary regulations."
“Crushing regulations targeting coal-fired power plants, and now methane emissions from natural gas, have a huge negative impact on West Virginia’s vital energy industry," Capito said.