WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) today praised Representatives John Sullivan (R-OK) and Jim Matheson (D-UT) for teaming up to release draft bipartisan legislation to assess how multiple federal rules are affecting jobs and U.S. competitiveness as well as energy prices and reliability.
The “Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011" (the “TRAIN Act") would:
“¢ Require an interagency committee to analyze the cumulative impacts of certain significant rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in an effort to better understand how these policies are impacting America’s global economic competitiveness, electricity and fuel prices, employment, and reliability of electricity supply.
“¢ Call for an analysis of the cumulative impacts of EPA’s rules on consumers, small businesses, state, local and tribal governments, labor markets, and agriculture.
“Many of EPA’s regulations under consideration will cost our country billions, impacting everything from energy reliability, jobs, manufacturing and the global economic competitiveness of the United States," said Sullivan. “This legislation will conduct an in-depth economic analysis so Congress and the American people can fully understand how the EPA’s regulatory train wreck will impact our economy. I am proud to be working with my colleague Rep. Matheson (D-UT) on this important, bipartisan effort to protect American consumers from higher energy prices."
“Numerous new rules on pollutants are coming down the pike from EPA, with the potential to affect consumers, businesses and states in a major way," said Matheson. “This comprehensive, multi-agency study requested in the bipartisan bill will provide better information about the cumulative effect of these regulations, hopefully leading to greater understanding about the ultimate economic and environmental consequences."
“This legislation will provide us with a better understanding of how EPA’s policies are impacting American businesses and families. EPA has estimated that the cost of some of the rules individually could cost tens of billions of dollars, but a cumulative economic analysis reflecting aggregate impacts on energy prices and U.S. competitiveness has never been executed," said Upton. “We are unaware of any effort by this administration to understand the combined effect of these rules and their total contribution to increased energy prices and employment losses. We cannot afford to hastily rush into costly regulation without appropriate consideration of all of the consequences -the stakes on our economy are too high. The TRAIN Act can help us to avoid an economic train wreck. I look forward to working with Chairman Ed Whitfield and other members of the Energy and Power Subcommittee to see that this critical analysis is carried out to completion."
