Chamber of Commerce concerned over EPA regulations

The chamber has joined 165 other business groups, expressing concerns about regulations under the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan.
In a joint friend of the court brief, the groups claim the EPA has overstepped its authority into an area states traditionally regulate.
Norma Ritz Johnson with the local chamber said the rules requiring electric utilities to reduce carbon emissions could hamper job creation and drive up costs for consumers.

"There's been an independent consulting study from an economics firm that has determined that if the rule is upheld, it could long term increase electric rates an average in Texas of 13 to 18 percent," Johnson said.

Johnson said the court of appeals for the D.C. Circuit could issue a decision later this year.