WASHINGTON – Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, is seeking information on how the Obama Administration justifies the portion of their climate change agenda that changes regulations affecting carbon emissions and the cost of using coal.

In a letter to the head of the Obama Administration’s regulatory oversight office, Bachus detailed his concerns about the benefit and cost calculations used to underpin the rules.

“I am concerned that the consequences of the new Social Cost of Carbon calculations will be increased electricity and energy prices for consumers, decreased competitiveness for domestic energy suppliers, and greater dependence on volatile foreign sources of energy without corresponding benefits,” Bachus wrote in his letter to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator Howard Shelanski.

Bachus suggested that the regulators could be vastly overstating the benefits of greater controls on carbon emissions and noted that the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) is currently examining the methodology they used to reach their conclusions.

“I am concerned that the calculations did not follow OMB (Office of Management and Budget) guidelines for cost-benefit analysis or provide the opportunity for significant public input,” Bachus wrote.

Bachus is asking OIRA to answer questions regarding the decision-making process used in the Social Cost of Carbon analysis.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims