WASHINGTON - NACS signed a letter yesterday in support of an amendment offered by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that would strip the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases (GHG).
Originally drafted by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), the language was introduced yesterday as an amendment to the small business legislation that the Senate is debating this week.
On January 2, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stationary sources. The EPA??s rules require industrial sites, power plants and other businesses that emit GHGs above certain thresholds to apply for a permit whenever they want to build or modernize their facilities.
The EPA is also moving to regulate GHGs from existing sources and will likely expand the scope of these regulations in the future.
The following are McConnell??s remarks on the Senate floor about his amendment:
"For two years, the administration has cancelled dozens of oil and gas leases all across America. It??s raised permit fees. It??s shut down deep water drilling in the Gulf. It won??t even allow a conversation about exploring for oil in a remote, 2,000-acre piece of land in northern Alaska that experts think represents one of our best opportunities for a major oil find. And it continues to press for new regulations through the Environmental Protection Agency that would raise energy costs for every business in America ?" and lead to untold lost jobs for more American workers.
"In other words, in the midst of average gas prices approaching four dollars a gallon and a chronic jobs crisis, the White House plans to make the climate for job growth worse...
"Our amendment would assure small businesses across the country that they won??t be hit with yet another costly new job-stifling burden...It will give voters the assurance that a regulation of this kind, which would have a dramatic impact on so many, could not be approved without their elected representatives standing up and voting for it...
"...At a time when Americans are looking for answers on the economy, this amendment is as good as it gets from Washington. By voting for it, we??d be saying no to more regulations and red tape. And we??d be saying yes to American job creators, and to the jobs they want to create."