EPA Overreach
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a regulatory agency whose mission is to enforce federal environmental laws aimed at protecting human health and the outdoors.
Recently, however, the EPA has overreached its authority by advancing policies, absent congressional action, that could cost millions of jobs, hurt American consumers and our economy, and put American businesses at a competitive disadvantage globally.
Ozone
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed a lowering of U.S. ground-level ozone standards. Under the new guidelines, the "primary" standard would have been reduced to 60-70 parts per billion (ppb) measured over eight hours, down from the 75 ppb level set in March 2008. Fortunately for Americans across the country, the EPA withdrew this proposal, however, this new standard may be revisited in 2013.
The cost of implementating standards in the 60-70 ppb is economically disastrous to many local economies. Many counties across the country would likely be out of attainment with the new standards, and billions of dollars would be spent by local governments and the private sector across the nation to try to achieve attainment -- all with marginal benefits.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
In the past few years, the EPA has taken calculated steps to regulate carbon-dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions despite the lack of congressional and public support for such a monumental policy change. In 2009, the EPA issued an "endangerment finding" that formally classified GHG's as pollutants to be regulated under the Clean Air Act - a law that was intended to control traditinoal air pollutants, and not GHG emissions that come from every vehicle, home, factory and farm in America. In the spring of 2010, the EPA issued the "tailoring rule" that established thresholds for GH emissions that define when permits would be required for new and existing facilities. Finally on December 1, 2010, the EPA issued a final ruling which went into effect on January 2, 2011. This rule established for the first time, GHG enissions standards for motor vehicles, power plants and large stationary sources.
This EPA action is not part of any international agreement. It unilaterally drives up the cost of doing business in the United States and will force the outsourcing of jobs to foreign locations with poor environmental records. This will trigger an overall increase in global GHG output, not a decrease. Legal action to halt the implementation of the new regulations has been launched by multiple parties, but has not been able to stop the Agency, and thus the regulations have taken effect.
Enactment of these new rules will slow business investment and expansion, stunt job growth and limit American energy production by discouraging investment in new domestic fuel production capabilities. At a time when the nation needs to create jobs, these regulations adversely affect our nation's top job creators. Furthermore, for states with already straining budgets and onerous regulations, additional compliance requirements will place heavy administrative burdens on state environmental quality agencies that are already struggling to meet regulatory goals..
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