In The News
DEMOCRATS’ WANT TO REMOVE ENVIRONMENTAL INCENTIVES FOR SMALL BUSINESS
Monday July 23, 2007
Earlier this year, Senate Democrats introduced legislation (S.595) to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Final Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Burden Reduction Rule that was announced on December 18, 2006 [Link to final rule ]. At an EPW Committee hearing on February 6, 2007, Democrats on the committee characterized the new TRI rule as weakening the public’s right to know, eliminating disclosure requirements, and allowing facilities to hide the amounts of chemicals they may use.
FACT: The new TRI rule does not exempt any facility from reporting its releases. It simply changes the eligibility requirements for using the shorter, easier to complete Form A, allowing certain smaller reporters to use the less-detailed version. Everyone still has to report; no one is off the hook.
So who are these small businesses who get to use the shorter form? They are the good guys; the environmental stewards. The shorter form is available to those reporters who have lowered their emissions to zero and who manage their waste using preferred methods, such as recycling and treatment.
Tom Sullivan, Chief Counsel for the Office of Advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Association, testified at the February 6 hearing:
"[S]mall businesses are disproportionately impacted by regulation. The overall regulatory burden in the United States exceeds $1.1 trillion. For firms employing fewer than 20 employees, the most recent estimate of their regulatory burden is $7,647 per year per employee." [Link to SBA commissioned report]
An SBA Office of Advocacy contracted report released in 2004 revealed that businesses incur costs of $300 million annually for compliance with the TRI program.
The new TRI rule attempts to relieve some of those costs on smaller reporting facilities and retain the integrity and public accessibility to information in the TRI program.
Based on studies commissioned by the SBA Office of Advocacy, the increased reporting threshold in the new TRI rule involves very little change in the potential risk associated with releases that are being reported on the more detailed TRI Form Rs. In fact, these studies report that for 99% of all the nation’s 3,142 counties, the changes in reported risk are not significant. [Link to entire SBA work on TRI]
So why do Senate Democrats want to make everyone use the more-detailed version? Perhaps it’s because they don’t think people should be rewarded for doing the right thing. Perhaps it’s because they still believe command and control is better than environmental performance incentives. Despite their protestations to the contrary and all the evidence that incentives work, they still believe sticks are better than carrots.
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EPW FACT OF THE DAY: DEMOCRATS’ WANT TO REMOVE ENVIRONMENTAL INCENTIVES FOR SMALL BUSINESS
Monday July 23, 2007
FACT: The new TRI rule does not exempt any facility from reporting its releases. It simply changes the eligibility requirements for using the shorter, easier to complete Form A, allowing certain smaller reporters to use the less-detailed version. Everyone still has to report; no one is off the hook.
Opening Statement: Nominations Hearing
Tuesday July 17, 2007
The first nominee before us is Lyle Laverty, who is being considered for the Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks at the Department of the Interior. Mr. Laverty has a long and distinguished record in resource management which has prepared him well for this position. This experience includes 35 years as a career employee of the US Forest Service and most recently serving as Director of Colorado State Parks for 6 years.
WARNING, STATE THREAT: INHOFE RIPS EPA OZONE PROPOSAL (Jim Myers, Tulsa World, July 12, 2007)
Thursday July 12, 2007
TULSA WORLD
Warning, state threat: Inhofe rips EPA ozone proposal
By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
7/12/2007
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe increased his own alert Wednesday on an ozone proposal, warning "virtually the entire state" of Oklahoma would fail to meet new air quality standards suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Last month, the Oklahoma Republican's initial warning covered only Tulsa and a dozen other Oklahoma counties.
Inhofe announced his broader assessment at a subcommittee hearing on the proposed smog regulations whose witnesses included EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.
In his opening remarks, he directed Johnson's attention to a map showing the "tremendous progress" Oklahoma has made in cleaning up its air.
"Not a single county in Oklahoma is in violation of the ozone standards. Not a single one, Mr. Administrator," Inhofe said.
"Yet your proposal will put virtually the entire state into nonattainment. How is it that EPA last year considered states like Oklahoma to have clean air that was healthy to breathe, yet next year it will consider the air unhealthy, even as their pollution levels continue to plummet?"
In an interview following the hearing, the senator explained why he upped the ante on EPA's proposal to include the entire state.
He said the original list covered only counties where monitors are located, adding those counties would be considered out of attainment immediately under the proposed regulations.
"The monitors are scattered out. They are not all in one area," Inhofe said.
"In almost every case, the surrounding counties (of those monitored) would be included."
He said with the possible exception of Cimarron and Texas counties, located in the state's Panhandle, the entire state would be in nonattainment.
"It would happen pretty quick," the senator said.
As the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Inhofe routinely takes the lead on such issues for his party.
"I am embarrassed," he conceded.
"You would think as the ranking member I could do something about this."
Inhofe expressed regret that he was no longer chairman of that key committee.
"Quite frankly, if the Democrats had not taken control and I were still chairman of the committee I would seriously doubt we would have that problem," he said.
Inhofe also accused EPA of not enforcing current regulations uniformly and pointed to the area of southern California as proof.
When asked, EPA did not respond directly to Inhofe's specific concerns.
The agency provided maps that apparently indicated the number of counties with monitors that would be out of compliance if the new standards were in place today and those that would be in 2020.
Tulsa County seemed to be only one that EPA could say for certain would continue to be out of compliance.
During his testimony at Wednesday's hearing, EPA chief Johnson said the current standard does not protect the public health with an adequate margin of safety and should be strengthened to provide additional protection, specifically for those with asthma and other lung diseases.
If the proposed changes are put in place following public comments, Johnson said his agency would work with states on meeting the new standards.
Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., the subcommittee chairman, commended Johnson for proposing the new standard. A former governor, he spoke of the costs dirty air presents for the entire nation.
Inhofe and Carper have each introduced clean air legislation.
INHOFE COMMENTS ON BINGAMAN CAP-AND-TRADE PROPOSAL
Wednesday July 11, 2007
“Kyoto’s spectacular global failure should give any advocates of mandatory CO2 cap-and-trade schemes serious reasons to reconsider their support,” Senator Inhofe said.
“Some have suggested that carbon cap-and-trade scheme’s demonstrated failures should be overlooked because Senator Bingaman’s bill includes a safety valve tax off-ramp. But everybody knows there will be attempts to increase this tax off-ramp on the Senate floor, in conference and in subsequent legislation.
PRESS RELEASE: INHOFE RE-INTRODUCES CLEAN AIR LEGISLATION
Wednesday July 11, 2007
VIDEO CLIP: Senator Inhofe Responds to RFK Jr's "Traitor" Comments on Fox News
Tuesday July 10, 2007
Newsday reports on Kennedy’s comments:
"Get rid of all these rotten politicians that we have in Washington, who are nothing more than corporate toadies," said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmentalist author, president of Waterkeeper Alliance and Robert F. Kennedy's son, who grew hoarse from shouting. "This is treason. And we need to start treating them as traitors."
Watch Senator Inhofe’s Fox News Interview with Neil Cavuto now on Youtube.
PRESS RELEASE: INHOFE WELCOMES BARRASSO TO EPW COMMITTEE
Tuesday July 10, 2007
VIDEO CLIP: FOX NEWS INTERVIEW -WAS AL GORE’S LIVE EARTH CONCERT A SUCCESS OR FAILURE?
Monday July 9, 2007
“Was live earth a global failure? They had big names on the stage performing. All around the globe for that matter. Did the concert, a massive effort to raise awareness on the threat of global warming, did it succeed? Was it a global failure?”
Watch the interview now by clicking here (Youtube) (Full Transcript Will Be Posted Here ASAP).
Top Ten Democrat Energy Bill Failures
Thursday June 28, 2007
Top Ten Failures
#1 – Democrat Energy Bill will raise gas prices. The Democrat passed energy bill does nothing to address prices at the pump. In fact, the only amendment that would have helped lower prices, the Gas Petroleum Refinery Improvement & Community Empowerment Act of 2007 or Gas Price Act was voted down. One estimate of the bill’s legacy, with its so-called “price gouging” provisions and new mandates on energy providers -- has the price of fuel at the pump more than doubling by 2016.
#2 - Democrat Energy Bill will raise food prices. The Energy Bill expanded the corn based ethanol mandate to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Current Ethanol production is using up to 20% of the Nation's corn crop. Ethanol production is already increasing food prices on milk, pizza, chocolate, poultry, ice cream, cereals, beef and tortillas. The current demand for corn is pushing food prices up 4% this year alone. Milk alone could hit $4.50 a gallon this summer. America’s farmers and industry banned together and signed a letter opposing all new mandates on corn based ethanol.
