Since climate legislation stalled in Congress, the EPA is trying to circumvent the legislative process and pass rules to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act.
The EPA’s proposed plan is an attempt to control the economy. Virtually every person and every business emits carbon dioxide and the EPA is attempting to use the Clean Air Act to control it all.
Under the EPA’s rules, if a business emits more than the limit on carbon dioxide, it would be required to obtain a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit to build or a building. These permits are costly and time-consuming. They will delay our economic recovery by stifling business development and will cause $7 trillion in lost economic activity, according to the Heritage Foundation.
These rules would have major implications for many industries including 1 million mid to large commercial-sector buildings like schools, hotels, churches, health care facilities, warehouses, and restaurants; 200,000 manufacturers of chemicals, coal, metals, food, textiles, beverages and tobacco products; and 17,000 agricultural sources, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
In order for the EPA to review and issue these new permits, it would require 17,320 full-time employees and the compliance costs would exceed $5 billion, according to information requested from the EPA by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
This is the most expensive and expansive environmental regulation in history and would bypass the legislative process completely. Luckily, there is still time to act. Once the Advanced Notice for Proposed Rulemaking is published in the Federal Register, all members of the public can comment. You can tell the EPA this is bad for American businesses.
There is time for our elected officials to intervene. Congress can amend the Clean Air Act to ensure the EPA cannot regulate our economy. There are several actions that have been introduced in the House and Senate. Call your Representative or Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and urge them to stop the EPA from controlling our economy.
Sam Susuras is the chair of the Colorado Energy Forum, a nonpartisan group dedicated to promoting and encouraging all forms of domestic energy production. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
