Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Rep. Pete Olson (R-Sugar Land) today joined with a bipartisan group of colleagues to introduce H.R. 2250 the EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011. The proposal directs EPA to develop more achievable standards affecting non-utility boilers and incinerators as well as grants additional time for development of and compliance with the rules.
Olson and Reps. John Barrow (D-GA) Jim Matheson (D-UT) Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) Mike Ross (D-AR) and Steve Scalise (R-LA) teamed with the bills sponsors Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) to offer the legislation.
This bill provides industry and the EPA necessary additional time to fix the rules that were issued to develop these standards Olson said. Economists estimate that compliance with the rules as currently proposed could cost in excess of $14 billion putting more than 200000 jobs at risk. This common sense bipartisan legislation provides breathing room for industry EPA and the public to get these standards right while saving jobs.
Background on H.R. 2250
On March 21 2011 EPA published four interrelated highly complex and data-intensive rules setting new standards for more than 200000 boilers process heaters and incinerators. The rules apply across the entire U.S. economy and affect manufacturing and industrial facilities commercial buildings and facilities colleges and universities hospitals and medical centers hotels and apartment buildings and city buildings and municipal facilities.
EPA published the proposed rules in June of 2010. In December 2010 after receiving more than 4800 comments EPA asked a federal court for an additional 15 months to re-propose the rules and solicit more public comment. However the court denied the request and instructed EPA to issue the rules within 30 days. While EPA complied with the courts order the same day EPA published the final rules it stated it would reconsider certain aspects of the rules because the public had not had sufficient time to comment. EPA has also issued a temporary administrative stay of the effective date of two of the rules.
The EPA Regulatory Relief Act is designed to give EPA the time and parameters it needs to develop standards that will protect public health and the environment without undue threats to jobs and our economy. To protect jobs and allow time for development of achievable standards H.R. 2250 would:
- Provide EPA with at least 15 months to re-propose and finalize new rules for boilers process heaters and incinerators;
- Extend compliance deadlines from 3 to at least 5 years to allow facilities adequate time to comply with the standards and install necessary equipment;
- Direct EPA when developing the new rules to adopt definitions that allow sources to use a wide range of alternative fuels; and
- Direct EPA to ensure that the new rules are achievable by real-world boilers process heaters and incinerators and impose the least burdensome regulatory alternatives consistent with the Presidents Executive Order 13563.
To view the EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011" please click
HERE.
