This week, House Republicans continued our commitment to relieve job creators of excessive regulatory burdens, like those imposed by the EPA through its new Boiler MACT (maximum achievable control technology) rules, by passing the EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 (H.R. 2250).
The Boiler MACT rules unfairly threaten the operations of countless schools, hospitals, factories and other key employers in East Texas by forcing them to pay more and hire less as a penalty for simply owning certain heating equipment. With this bill, thousands of jobs will be saved as job creators will have one less roll of confidence-killing red tape to worry about.
America’s businesses should be able to depend on federal regulations to keep our economy free, competition fair, and customers safe. Unfortunately, the Boiler MACT rules would achieve no good and result in much harm. According to the EPA, the cost to implement these new standards would be nearly $10 billion. One study found that this regulation would put more than 20,000 jobs at risk within the paper mill industry alone.
The issue is not a matter of regulation versus de-regulation but smart regulation versus dumb regulation. At a time when national unemployment is stuck above 9 percent, the last thing Washington should be doing is imposing harsh new regulatory burdens on job creators.
I support smart regulations that instill confidence in job creators, not abusive red tape that only leads to lost capital, closed businesses, and longer unemployment lines. The House Republican Plan for America’s Job Creators is focused on restoring the freedom and confidence our private sector needs to grow again so that East Texans can go back to work. That’s what this bill will help do.
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