WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders today responded to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, costly new regulatory requirements that would have consequences across the U.S. economy.
Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) stated, “In 2011, President Obama rightly admitted that new regulations in this area could hurt jobs and our economy and the White House directed EPA to withdraw its onerous proposed ozone rule. It makes zero sense to now issue new guidelines that will only destroy jobs when the current standards still have not been fully implemented - the president would be doubling down on disaster. I was a part of the bipartisan consensus, together with my Michigan colleague John Dingell, to deliver the most sweeping environmental law ever, so I know we can work to protect the environment without wrecking the economy. This Thanksgiving, families in Michigan and across the country are giving thanks for the glimmer of an economic recovery, but this proposal threatens to slam the door on new economic growth and job creation and stop our energy and manufacturing renaissance in its tracks."
Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) stated, “We have seen a lot of destructive rules stem from President Obama’s EPA, but this one has the potential to be the most expensive and one of the most burdensome. EPA is proposing to adopt new standards that could be nearly impossible to meet, especially for areas of the country still struggling to comply with the current ozone standard. America shouldn’t take a backseat to anyone when it comes to our environment, but regulations need to be balanced and reasonable. EPA has not yet fully implemented the existing standard established in 2008, and stakeholders have raised concerns that benefits of further changes are uncertain while the costs are sure to be extreme. EPA needs to be forthcoming about the full costs and consequences of this proposal, and we will continue our efforts in the new Congress to rein in EPA’s relentless regulatory assault."
On Nov. 13, 2014, members of the Energy and Power Subcommittee wrote to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy urging the agency to provide a full accounting of the costs of its ozone proposal.
