U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) voted Tuesday to stop carbon regulations for states in President Obama's so-called Clean Power Plan, saying the plan incentivizes states to invest in wind power production, instead of more reliable nuclear facilities.

"Favoring unreliable sources of electricity such as wind makes little sense and is the energy equivalent of going to war in sailboats when a nuclear Navy is available. It would take a line of wind turbines stretched along the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine to equal the production of eight nuclear reactors," Alexander said. "Both wind and nuclear produce carbon-free electricity. The difference is nuclear power is reliable, while the wind only blows about a third of the time."

The resolution by Sen. Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.) expresses Congress' disapproval of the so-called Clean Power Plan's carbon regulations on states under the Congressional Review Act. The resolution passed the Senate by a vote of 52 to 46. Alexander is a cosponsor of the resolution.

Under the Congressional Review Act, the House of Representatives and Senate can vote on a joint resolution of disapproval to stop, with the full force of law, a federal agency from implementing a rule or regulation or issuing a substantially similar regulation without congressional authorization. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is also scheduled to vote on the measure this week. A full House vote has not yet been scheduled. If the resolution passes both chambers, the president can sign the resolution or veto it, which would require a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate to override the president's veto.