Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) today voted for a bipartisan bill aimed at  putting the brakes on new Obama Administration EPA regulations that would significantly impact high-paying jobs in an industry already hard hit by the recession. The proposed regulations would affect cement manufacturers around the country, including Holcim Cement, one of Fremont County’s largest employers.

H.R. 2681, the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act, would prevent the EPA from moving forward with rules that threaten to shut down up to 20 percent of the nation’s cement manufacturing plants in the next two years, sending thousands of jobs permanently overseas and driving up cement and construction costs across the country.

The EPA regulations would directly impact Holcim (US) Inc. in Florence, CO. The Holcim plant employs more than 140 workers in Fremont County.

The Administration’s costly new emissions regulations on the cement industry come at a time when the industry is already facing economic hardship. Nationwide, the cement industry has experienced a forty percent drop in demand for cement since 2007, and the Holcim (US) plant in Florence follows this trend, currently operating at 50% of its production capacity.

In a recent letter to Congressman Lamborn, Holcim noted:

      “…the industry faces seven proposed or recently finalized Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations which will undoubtedly entail significant compliance costs. The needed investments coupled with depressed market demand will force our company to reevaluate our current portfolio of assets and potentially require us to make difficult decisions regarding our operations going forward.

      “The U.S. cement industry is critical to the rebuilding of America and our recovery from the Great Recession. Now is not time to impose new regulations that will require considerable investments and ultimately undermine the vitality of the industry.”

If implemented, H.R. 2681, would require the federal government to reissue its recent rules affecting cement manufacturing to ensure that those rules don’t impose unnecessary economic harm on American businesses and workers.

The bill would allow the federal government additional time to develop a more balanced and effective approach that will protect public health and the environment without killing jobs.

“The Obama Administration’s misguided policies are threatening Colorado businesses. In some case, excess government regulations are forcing our manufacturers to close American plants and move jobs overseas. The overregulation from Washington must stop. Instead, we need a common-sense approach to regulation that will protect both the environment and jobs.”– Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05)

H.R. 2681 passed the House on a vote of 262 to 161. It now awaits action in the Senate.

Note:To learn more about other House-passed job bills, visit jobs.gop.gov

Additional Media Contact: Robin de Carlo, Holcim (US) Inc., robin.decarlo@holcim.com

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