Op-Ed: Reps. Brett Guthrie and Morgan Griffith: The Biden-Harris administration’s EPA is from the government, but is not here to help

President Ronald Reagan once said: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” Nowhere is this truer than with the Biden-Harris administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

From the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, the Biden-Harris administration’s EPA has been “here to help” by providing solutions in search of a problem. The EPA’s command and control regime in the name of “climate justice” is being used to tax American households and fulfill a far-left Green New Deal agenda.

When you drive to work in the morning and drop your kids off at school, the EPA wants to make sure it can choose which vehicle you’re using. Its electric vehicle (EV) mandates, which are attempting to make two thirds of all American car sales by 2032 electric vehicles, are completely unrealistic and ignore the factors that make EVs untenable for many families across the country.

EV use is limited in mountainous regions where traversing the mountains drains batteries at a faster rate. EVs cost on average $17,000 more than their gas-powered counterparts, and some EVs are susceptible to severe weather, with battery range cut by up to 40 percent in cold conditions. This is further evidenced by the high percentage of auto-dealers’ lots filled with unsold EVs because of the continued popularity of gas-powered cars.

The Biden-Harris hypocritical electrification strategy will increase the need for reliable baseload power generation, while at the same time forcing the use of intermittent sources of wind and solar through the Clean Power Plan 2.0 that will drive out fossil fuels that are reliable and keep the lights on.

But don’t just take our word for it: the very entities charged with overseeing our grid are sounding alarms about the implications of the EPA’s plans. Access to electricity is not a luxury, but a necessity. Power generation is the linchpin to economic activity in our nation. We should see this next-gen economy as an opportunity to reduce our reliance on adversarial nations like China and create stable, good-paying jobs that lift up communities across the nation.

Unfortunately, the Biden-Harris administration’s EPA doubled down on their radical agenda by implementing a host of regulations that target the manufacturing sector in an effort to fulfill a far-left environmentalist wish list.

By implementing the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter, known as the PM 2.5 rule on air quality, Biden and Harris are effectively forcing states to turn away new opportunities for job creating industries and could threaten upwards of $200 billion in economic activity for our nation. Making a bad situation worse, the EPA’s implementation of their Natural Gas tax, unreasonable methane regulations, and emission reduction requirements will fuel inflation and drive up the cost of energy for households and businesses alike.

The EPA’s efforts to grossly reimagine our nation’s economy doesn’t stop at our energy system but finds its way into the production of everyday essentials like pharmaceuticals and medical devices such as EpiPens and inhalers, water treatment facilities, our food supply, and everyday consumer goods that Americans rely on.

Large companies and small businesses alike face a regulatory onslaught of costly compliance requirements and restrictions that will only raise prices and further entrench foreign manufacturers that are bereft of environmental or labor standards.

At the same time that the EPA is disrupting our everyday lives, it has shown its true priorities by dishing out hard-working American taxpayer dollars to a vast network of former Obama-era officials who are now leading the far-left’s crusade against American energy independence. These groups promote anti-Semitic rhetoric, call for defunding the police, and advance radical immigration policies.

If EPA Administrator Michael Regan has proven anything in four years, it’s that the EPA is here to antagonize American families, instead of using his platform to bring needed relief to the American people. Thankfully, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been hard at work reigning in the EPA’s overreaches that take aim at the American economy.

Our efforts center on unleashing American energy production to lower energy costs for hardworking families and relieve inflationary pressures that are raising prices throughout the supply chain.

We must also stop the excessive lawsuits by safeguarding against frivolous litigation targeting energy projects that raise costs and deter much-needed investment. This begins with reducing permitting barriers to reshore our domestic manufacturing base, re-establishing a lighter-touch regulatory environment championed by the Trump administration, and reducing our reliance on China for our critical mineral processing. Our platform will lay the groundwork necessary for America to lead the next-generation economy.

Above all, we must bring back common sense to the EPA so that government stops working against the industries driving our country toward a new tomorrow.

Congressman Brett Guthrie represents Kentucky’s 2nd District. He is the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee.

Congressman Morgan Griffith represents Virginia’s 9th District. He is the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.