Peterson introduces "Disapproval Resolution" in the House

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Collin Peterson, House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) have introduced a Joint Resolution to repeal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “endangerment finding”. This resolution is exactly the same as S.J. Res. 26, the “disapproval resolution” introduced by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) in the U.S. Senate.

“The EPA is trying to use unwarranted regulatory action to go after greenhouse gas emissions without seeking Congressional approval”, Peterson said. “The Clean Air Act was never meant to be used for this but they’re trying to do it anyway so Congress needs to act. Most everyone I’ve heard from about this thinks that elected officials — not EPA bureaucrats — should decide how to address our energy problems.”

According to a statement made by the EPA Administrator the Agency is planning to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants within the next twelve months. Many industry analysts believe that these regulations will be costly and that consumers will ultimately bear the brunt of the cost increases.

“The EPA shouldn’t start regulating greenhouse gas emissions under a decades old law that was never intended for that purpose. We need to stop the EPA in its tracks on this and prevent them from simply imposing these over-reaching regulations on all of us.”

The Peterson-Skelton-Emerson “disapproval resolution” introduced on February 25^th is the only bi-partisan “disapproval resolution” in the House that addresses the EPA’s “endangerment finding. The resolution would nullify the EPA’s controversial regulatory action and would prevent it from regulating greenhouse gas emissions coming from hospitals, schools and farms.

In January, Peterson, Skelton and Emerson introduced a different bill, HR 4572, to change the law to prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.

Peterson said "A few weeks ago, Chairman Skelton, Congresswoman Emerson and I introduced H.R. 4572, a bill that will change the underlying law, but we’ve also introduced this new Joint Resolution because it’s the most immediate legislative tool we have for stopping the EPA’s unilateral regulatory actions.”

Under the Congressional Review Act of 1996, Congress has 60 legislative days to review a major rule under expedited legislative procedures and consider a resolution to disapprove of the rulemaking.

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