Environmental regulations must promote the shared national goal of a healthy environment while preserving America’s ability to innovate and create jobs. Some recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that would restrict air emissions at myriad facilities are impractical and will destroy American jobs—these regulations must be fixed or stopped.
Policy Background
Ozone: On September 2, 2011, President Obama asked EPA to withdraw its proposed ozone standard. This decision will help ensure that communities across the country that would have essentially been closed for business by EPA’s new standard have a fighting chance of attracting new factories, new construction projects and new energy production. America’s chemical manufacturers are poised to help create up to 400,000 U.S. jobs, thanks to the promise of domestic shale gas, and EPA’s plan to aggressively reduce ozone standards would have rendered many areas off-limits to new manufacturing. The Manufacturers Alliance estimated that the proposal could have cost up to 7.3 million jobs by 2020.
Boiler MACT: EPA in 2010 proposed new air emissions standards for boilers that are used to power various processes for 200,000 businesses, institutions and municipalities across the country. These “Boiler MACT” standards would require manufacturers, hospitals, restaurants and other enterprises to buy and install expensive new technologies—in an attempt to meet unrealistic standards. Many industries, small businesses, lawmakers—even the U.S. Small Business Administration—informed EPA that these rules overreach and would hurt the economy and cost jobs. EPA acknowledged problems with its methodology and data and is reconsidering the standards. ACC supports House and Senate legislation that would give EPA time to develop more effective, achievable standards.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, EPA in January 2011 began requiring certain manufacturing facilities, farms and power plants to obtain permits if GHG emissions would exceed specified levels when building or modernizing facilities. In July, additional manufacturing facilities and large commercial enterprises came under EPA GHG permitting requirements. EPA’s confusing and uncertain permit approval process will curtail new enterprises, significantly reduce investment in the United States and cost jobs. And states that already face budget shortfalls will bear new costs and burdens to process GHG permits.
ACC’s Policy Position
To attract manufacturing in the United States and to double exports in five years, as President Obama has pledged, EPA must fix its Boiler MACT standards and stop GHG emissions regulations.
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Federal courts should “stay” Boiler MACT standards while EPA reconsiders them so that businesses don’t spend millions—if not billions—to comply with rules that may change.
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ACC welcomes EPA’s initial changes to Boiler MACT standards, but further improvements must be made to develop realistic emissions limits.
The business of chemistry and other manufacturers must be allowed to meet environmental goals in ways that do not jeopardize jobs and innovation.
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