Coalition Urges Congress to Bar EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

WASHINGTON, June 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A group of 24 trade associations representing a broad range of employers that provide jobs to millions of Americans is urging U.S. senators to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from going around Congress to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.

The group has sent a letter to all senators urging them to support Senate Joint Resolution 26, a bipartisan measure introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).  

The resolution would overturn EPA's 2009 "endangerment" finding, which concluded that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare. The finding paved the way for EPA to regulate car and light-duty truck emissions of greenhouse gases, which in turn has triggered subsequent EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from other commercial and industrial sources.  

"Massive and rapidly imposed restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions would harm the American economy and hit every American in his or her wallet," said Charles T. Drevna, president of the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, one of the groups signing the letter.

"If EPA's aggressive campaign to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act is successful, it will add billions of dollars to the cost of doing business in the United States, raise the cost of energy and other products for American families, wipe out the jobs of millions of American workers, and simply shift greenhouse gas emissions from the United States to other nations without any increase in environmental protection," Drevna added.

"Restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions were never authorized or contemplated by members of Congress when they enacted the Clean Air Act," Drevna said. "Sen. Murkowski's resolution simply recognizes this truth and calls a halt to EPA's greenhouse gas campaign before it harms the American economy, destroys American jobs, and costs families and farmers billions of dollars."

The letter's signatories also urged senators to reject any effort to codify the EPA's recently released "tailoring" rule into law. That rule would subject only stationary sources of greenhouse gas emissions of 100,000 tons or more annually to state government permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act, however, sets a permitting threshold of 250 tons annually for emissions from major sources.

Groups signing the letter are: American Coke and Coal Chemicals Institute; American Iron and Steel Institute; American Health Care Association; American Petroleum Institute; Associated General Contractors of America; The Center for North American Energy Security; Corn Refiners Association; Industrial Energy Consumers of America; Industrial Minerals Association - North America; International Warehouse Logistics Association; Metals Service Center Institute; National Association of Convenience Stores; National Association of Manufacturers; National Cattlemen's Beef Association; National Center for Assisted Living; National Mining Association; National Petrochemical & Refiners Association; Natural Gas Supply Association; Portland Cement Association; Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America; Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council; The Fertilizer Institute; U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and U.S. Oil and Gas Association.

SOURCE National Petrochemical & Refiners Association