Chamber Slams EPA Staff's Plan for Overregulation

Chamber Slams EPA Staff's Plan for Overregulation

Greenhouse Gas Proposal Exposes Attempt to Regulate the Economy

WASHINGTON, D.C.–- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Vice President for Environment, Technology, and Regulatory Affairs Bill Kovacs called the roadmap for regulating greenhouse gases drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency's staff "an unprecedented power grab by unelected officials who want to stretch the application of the Clean Air Act into regulation of the entire economy."

Today's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) is a response to the Supreme Court's ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, which directed the agency to determine whether CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles endanger public health or welfare.

"ANPRs are supposed to be nothing more than an agency's request to the public for input on how regulation should be undertaken," Kovacs said. "However, in a truly unprecedented move, EPA staff released a draft of the ANPR without obtaining approval from the Office of Management and Budget or the White House.

"Today, the American public is getting a chance to see the regulatory beast cooked up by EPA staff. If implemented, this would be a classic case of government overreach," he said. "What we need injected into this process is a large dose of common sense. Instead, the staff draft provides a look at an agency's attempt to regulate the economy."

The EPA staff draft sets forth program outlines and technical data ranging from new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for states and localities to stringent new standards for cars, trucks, planes, trains, boats, refineries, manufacturing plants, heavy- and light-duty equipment, and even farms. The Chamber estimates that one of the programs outlined in the ANPR – Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permitting authority – would literally stop efforts to construct or make modifications to over one million construction projects, including schools and hospitals.

"The permitting required under the staff proposal would essentially stop every construction project in America and bring our economy to a screeching halt," Kovacs said.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

www.uschamber.com

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