Shimkus Responds to EPA Smog Proposal

WASHINGTON – Congressman John Shimkus (R-Illinois-15) released the following statement in response to the ground-level ozone rule proposed by EPA today: 

“With a price tag of $3.4 trillion in lost economic output and 2.9 million lost jobs by 2040, American manufacturers have warned this could be the most expensive regulation ever written. While the costs themselves are staggering, perhaps the worst news for job-creators stems from the way EPA enforces these rules. Regardless of how much they invested to comply with the 2008 ozone standards, American businesses could still be forced to put the brakes on job-creating expansion plans simply because their community as a whole fails to meet new, unrealistic targets. The reality is that, even without these new rules, smog levels will continue their 40-year decline under the existing and yet-unrealized 2008 standards sought by the Bush Administration.” 

On November 13, 2014, members of the Energy and Power Subcommittee wrote to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy urging the agency to provide a full accounting of the costs of its ozone proposal.

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