Letter Supporting H.R. 2681, the “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011”
The Honorable Fred Upton
Chairman
Committee on Energy and Commerce
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Henry Waxman
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Commerce
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Waxman:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, supports H.R. 2681, the “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011.” This bipartisan bill protects the nation’s cement manufacturing industry, which could be forced to shut down up to 20 percent of its plants in order to comply with EPA’s flawed “Cement MACT” regulations.
The cement industry has been hit very hard by the recent economic slowdown. To make matters worse, the industry faces seven proposed or recently finalized EPA regulations, ranging from fly ash disposal to greenhouse gases to Clean Air Act standards of performance. However, the hardest hit of all would come from the Cement MACT regulations. EPA’s Cement MACT regulations as currently written are simply too strict for the cement industry to comply in a cost-effective manner. The Portland Cement Association estimates that the regulations will force the shutdown of eighteen of the nation’s 100 existing cement plants. That number does not include the seven cement plants since 2008 that have already announced (due to economic and other reasons) they will permanently close.
H.R. 2681 requires EPA to propose more reasonable emission standards for cement plants and related solid waste incinerators. It will help protect up to 4,000 cement sector jobs at risk due from EPA regulations on the cement industry. And it will go a long way toward keeping the nation’s cement industry strong.
Sincerely,
R. Bruce Josten
Cc: Members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce
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