WASHINGTON, DC - The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power, chaired by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), today approved legislation to protect hundreds of thousands of American jobs. H.R. 2250, the EPA Regulatory Relief Act, and H.R. 2681, the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act, aim to fix EPA’s boiler and cement rules to ensure that they set achievable standards and allow for more reasonable compliance timelines. The bipartisan bills passed the panel by voice vote and now move to the full Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.
H.R.2250, introduced by Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and G.K. Butterfield (D-GA), provides a legislative stay of EPA’s boiler and incinerator rules which put over 200,000 jobs at risk. The bill requires EPA to re-propose the rules to ensure they are both technologically and economically achievable in the real world. The bill will protect against further jobs losses and give American businesses and institutions the certainty they need to expand and create jobs.
“I am proud to be able carry and defend this bipartisan compromise language," said Griffith. “Businesses need certainty and they need to know we are going to get the rules right. This bill simply gives us sufficient time to get the rules right when imposing such complex, expensive, and comprehensive rules on businesses that employ thousands of hardworking Americans."
H.R. 2681, introduced by Reps. John Sullivan (R-OK) and Mike Ross (D-AR), gives regulators additional time to develop workable rules for cement manufacturing facilities. Estimates show that EPA’s current rules could shut down up to 20 percent of the nation’s cement plants in the next two years, sending thousands of jobs overseas and driving up construction costs. This legislation will ensure the vitality of America’s cement industry which is crucial to our nation’s infrastructure projects -a key component of the president’s jobs plan.
“Neither the cement nor the boiler bill was part of the President’s jobs speech last week, but both should have been, as these bills clear away impediments to job creation in the years ahead," said Whitfield. “Both these bills restore the balance between our nation’s economic and environmental goals."
“These bills are about a common-sense, pro-jobs approach to regulations. They simply require EPA to promulgate cement plant and boiler regulations that reduce emissions using reasonable and achievable targets and timetables. It is no surprise these bills enjoy bipartisan support, and I look forward to advancing them to the full committee for consideration," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI).
