Montana Public Radio: Tester criticizes Biden’s air pollution crackdown

Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and other moderate senators are criticizing President Biden’s plan to crack down on air pollution.

The Biden administration proposed a rule last spring to reduce CO2 emissions by enacting stricter regulations on power plants. They’d have to nearly eliminate all emissions in the next 16 years.

Tester and fellow Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona said the rule could hike energy prices, make the energy grid less reliable and force layoffs.

In a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, the senators said carbon storage technology is not advanced enough for power plants to reduce emissions without cutting production. They asked the agency to consult labor and industry experts before finalizing the rule.

The four Democrats and Independent Sinema represent red-leaning or purple states and have clashed with Biden in the past. Tester and Brown are running reelection campaigns.