EPA Climate Regulations are Wrong Policy at the Worst Time
By Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Texas Insider Report: Washington D.C. Since late last year the Environmental Protection Agency has been rolling out new federal climate regulations that will have the same job-destroying effects as the cap-and-trade policy that Congress rejected last year. EPAs backdoor climate regulations are likely to drive up the cost of energy in America. And everyone pays.
EPA has seized control over parts of several state air programs empowering the agency to run them federally.
EPA has also signaled that additional burdensome regulations are on the horizon. Implementation of these new rules would have devastating economic consequences for families and employers send U.S. jobs overseas even as unemployment continues to hover above 9 percent and impose federal edicts on states.
This is the wrong policy at the worst time and I plan to fight these overbearing regulations.
One of the administrations key agenda items during the 111th Congress was passing cap-and-trade legislation. The goal was to purposely increase the price of traditional forms of carbon-based energy such as coal gas and oil so that consumers would respond by using less.
This misguided proposal passed the House by a narrow margin. The Senate however refused to consider a bill that would financially burden Americans and crush energy-dependent jobs. So the cap-and-trade
proposal effectively died in that Congress.
Now EPA is bypassing Congress with its own backdoor climate regulations sending the clear message that it intends to impose the cap-and-trade program on Americans one way or another.
Families commuters truckers farmers and fliers who now face gas and diesel prices that are significantly higher than last year are likely to be hit even harder with steep energy costs.
Employers are also likely to shoulder the burden of rising energy expenses especially manufacturers and producers of energy-intensive products such as glass steel cement and transportation fuels. In response they may be forced to lay off workers and pass on the higher costs to consumers.
Farmers confronted with higher production costs from more expensive fuel could also face costly new regulations on livestock and dairy production increasing food prices for our families.
The terrible irony is that none of EPAs planned actions are likely to have any impact on world temperatures. Greenhouse gas emissions are a worldwide issue with China now emitting more than the United States.
EPA scientists confirm that if the United States acts alone without similar steps by other countries like China that refuse to curb their carbon output it will produce no measurable change in world temperatures.
Essentially EPA wants to threaten our nation with millions of lost U.S. jobs and trillions of dollars in higher costs for the American people in exchange for absolutely no improvement in the climate.
There is wide opposition to EPAs regulatory power grab. We must put the Obama administration on notice that we will exhaust all options to protect Americans from costly new EPA climate regulations in the 112th Congress.
I intend to support a number of the legislative efforts planned by my colleagues to thwart these actions. I look forward to the work of:
- Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) the ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman
- Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
- and I also appreciate the efforts of Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) the Senate Commerce Committee chairman to delay the regulations so their full impact can be assessed.
I too stand ready to protect the American people from this threat. If bills to stop EPA climate regulations in the House and Senate this spring do not succeed I plan to pursue a similar effort through the Appropriations Committee on which I serve. The needs of American workers and families give us no choice but to succeed in passing legislation.
President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address talked about a more competitive America. I can imagine few greater ways to hurt Americas competitiveness than allowing the EPA to proceed with backdoor climate regulations.
As for his export goals our biggest export under EPAs proposals will be U.S. jobs to China. This is a threat to America we must stop this year. I look forward to working with my colleagues to lead the fight.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Commerce Science & Transportation Committee.
