Senator Hutchison Responds to Letter about Greenhouse Gas Regulations Under Clean Air Act

Yesterday I wrote to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) about the implementation of Greenhouse Gas Regulations under the Clean Air Act. I wrote the letter using a tool provided by the National Write Your Congressman (NWYC) organization. The letter also went to Senator Cornyn and Congressman Culberson. 

Following is the information I received from NWYC that prompted my letter to my members of Congress:

EPA Greenhouse Gas Regulations

The U.S. House passed (255-172) legislation that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating the emission of greenhouse gases to address climate change. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

For Stopping the EPA Regulations:  Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI)

“This is the same debate we had last year when both Congress and the American people soundly rejected the cap-and-trade regulatory scheme. The rules supported by EPA seek the same ends as cap-and-trade and are no less costly in terms of lost American jobs and higher energy prices. Left unchecked, EPA’s actions would have a devastating impact on jobs, U.S. competitiveness, and domestic energy prices. …Families and small business owners have struggled and sacrificed long enough. They will not stand by as a group of unelected bureaucrats indefinitely prolong our economic recovery. …[H.R.910] simply prevents EPA from using the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases, an intention that Congress explicitly rejected…in 1990.”

Against Stopping the EPA Regulations: Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA)

Climate change is, unfortunately, a fact, and the consensus among the scientific community is that it is being caused mainly because of human activities. The longer we continue to deny this, the worse off we will be. H.R. 910 would overturn the EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding that greenhouse gases are a threat to human’s health and well-being, and should thus be regulated under the Clean Air Act. …The truth is that our failure to act on climate change is certainly a threat to our economic recovery. Removing emission standards will not only affect our health and our environment, it will also harm our growing clean energy sector. … With our current economic climate, we cannot afford to pass legislation that takes our country, and our economy, backwards.

The EPA is exercising federal over-reach in its efforts to regulate these greenhouse gas regulations and they need to be stopped. Their efforts will discourage investment in energy resources our country needs and will result in more loss of high paying jobs.

Here is Senator Hutchison's response to my letter.

"Thank you for contacting me regarding the implementation of greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on December 23, 2010 its plans to impose costly greenhouse gas regulation on refineries. I believe this will hurt every American driver, trucker, farmer and flier with higher gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices.

During the 111th Congress, one of the major agenda items for the administration was passing cap-and-trade legislation. The goal of the legislation was to increase the price of traditional forms of carbon-based energy, such as coal, gas and oil, so that consumers would respond by using less of it. The Senate refused to consider a bill that would financially burden Americans and kill energy-dependent jobs. With the EPA’s announcement, the administration has taken the unprecedented step of bypassing Congress with these backdoor regulations and is sending a clear message it intends to impose cap-and-trade on all Americans — one way or another.

The EPA’s backdoor climate regulations will drive up the cost of energy in America — and everyone will pay. Families, commuters, truckers, farmers, and fliers who are today facing significantly higher gas and diesel prices than last year, will be hit even harder with steep energy costs. Employers - especially manufacturers and producers of energy intensive products like glass, steel, cement, and transportation fuels - will also shoulder the burden of rising energy expenses. In response, they may be forced to lay off workers and pass on the higher costs to consumers. Farmers, facing higher production costs from more expensive fuel, could also face costly new regulations on their livestock and dairy production, as well as their application of fertilizer to their fields. All of this will raise the costs of food for our families.

On December 29, 2010, in response to the EPA plans against refineries, I sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson urging her to forgo the agency’s plans to regulate refinery greenhouse gases. These regulations will drive up the cost of energy in America — and everyone will pay.

I am also an original cosponsor of S. 482, the Energy Tax Prevention Act, introduced on March 3, 2011 by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK). This legislation would prohibit the EPA from enacting new regulations with regard to greenhouse gases and climate change. S. 482 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, of which I am not a member. Should this legislation come before the full Senate, you may be certain it will have my continued support.

Protecting jobs in Texas, as well as across America, is my top priority. Keeping energy costs low for Americans is essential to stabilizing the economy. To help accomplish these imperatives, I will work with my colleagues to ensure Congress, not unelected bureaucrats, sets economic, regulatory and environmental policy.

I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me on any issue that is important to you."

Sincerely,

Kay Bailey Hutchison

United States Senator

284 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510

202-224-5922 (tel) 202-224-0776 (fax)