Greenhouse Gas Regulations

Greenhouse gas regulations would touch nearly all aspects of our daily lives.  While large industrial facilities would face the regulations first, eventually small sources of emissions like schools and hospitals could have to pay huge costs to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's  (EPA) mandates.  

Greenhouse gas emissions declined by six percent in 2009, according to a recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency.  The agency, however, is pressing forward with onerous regulations on greenhouse gas emissions.

 The EPA’s regulation of greenhouse gases would destroy jobs and hinder manufacturers’ ability to stay competitive in the global economy.  The Clean Air Act was never intended to regulate greenhouse gases, but earlier this year the EPA began phasing in regulations on emissions from power plants and large industrial and commercial facilities.  The agency is planning to make new rules to extend the regulations to smaller facilities.

Ultimately, the EPA’s aggressive regulation of greenhouse gases would extend the reach of the agency into nearly all sectors of the economy.  This expanded authority would stifle economic activity, as environmental agencies would struggle to regulate the millions of facilities that would be subject to the new rules.  New construction could come to a halt, and manufacturers would have to divert resources that could be used to create jobs and innovate to complying with the new rules.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is fighting the EPA’s aggressive actions in all three branches of government.  We support legislation that would prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases.  We have filed numerous petitions against the agency’s actions.  We have challenged the EPA’s agenda in federal court and filed a number of briefs in litigation addressing the EPA’s agenda.