Manufacturers Urge Senate to Halt Costly EPA Regulation

Washington, D.C., 06/18/12 -  National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Relations Aric Newhouse issued this statement in support of Sen. Jim Inhofe’s (R-OK) joint resolution of disapproval, S.J. Res. 37, to use the Congressional Review Act to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Utility MACT rule:

“At a cost of nearly $95 billion, the Utility MACT rule will be one of the most expensive rules ever issued by the EPA. This regulation, when combined with other power plant regulations, will result in a loss of 1.65 million jobs nationwide by 2020 and will increase electricity bills by more than 10 percent in some large manufacturing regions. With unemployment back up to 8.2 percent in May, this EPA regulation is the wrong move at the wrong time.

Manufacturers face a 20 percent cost disadvantage in the United States compared to our largest trading partners; recent EPA regulations such as Boiler MACT, NSPS for new power plants and Utility MACT only serve to exacerbate the problem. Sen. Inhofe’s resolution takes an important step to reining in the EPA by halting the Utility MACT regulation. Instead of looking for new ways to threaten the livelihood of manufacturing workers and their families, Washington should be working to create an environment where businesses can grow and create jobs.”

You can read the NAM’s Key Vote letter here.