This week, the House Energy and Power and Commerce, and Manufacturing and Trade subcommittees held a joint hearing on the impacts EPA’s proposed Ozone Rule would have on the manufacturing industry.
The EPA is considering revising the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground level ozone even though the most recent standard, set in 2008, has yet to be fully implemented.
Energy and Commerce Chairman Ed Whitfield (R, Kentucky) said, “We have watched the Obama EPA propose and finalize rules for more than six years now, and a familiar pattern has emerged. The agency is inclined to overstate both the extent and the certainty of the benefits, while downplaying the costs. At the same time, the concerns of state and local governments tend to be ignored, as do the issues raised by affected manufacturers.
Congressman Michael Burgess, MD (R, Texas), said the rule is ” an unprecedented and overly burdensome regulatory proposal when there is significant ongoing debate and little science around the public health benefits of such a rule. The EPA’s proposal to further reduce the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone represents one of the most costly regulations the agency has ever attempted to impose on the U.S. economy.”
Testimony was provided by the National Association of Manufacturers, the WD-40 Company and Johns Hopkins University, to name a few. A full list of witnesses and their testimony can be found on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Web site.
The Committee’s Web site also provides an interactive map that allows users to see what effects this new rule would have on jobs and manufacturing.