Manufacturers Need Investment Certainty To Comply With Complex Clean Air Statute, says NAM

September 18th, 2008 at 11:51am Bob Trojan

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 11, 2008 – The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) said that environmental legislation introduced today by Senators Inhofe (R-OK) and Voinovich (R-OH) would reestablish a climate of business certainty by modernizing the overly complex Clean Air Act.“The Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) Reinstatement Act of 2008 would turn into law yet another EPA clean air rule that has been vulnerable to legal attacks and make it more difficult for the courts to challenge,” said NAM Vice President, Energy and Resources Policy Keith McCoy.

“The NAM supports continued efforts by Members of Congress to streamline and clarify the complex and ambiguous requirements of the Clean Air Act,” McCoy continued.

The CAIR rule was promulgated in 2005 to reduce air emissions from electric utilities in 28 eastern states and the District of Columbia. At full implementation, by 2015 the rule would reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (S0x) by 73 percent and nitrogen oxide (Nox) emissions by 61 percent from 2003 levels in affected states.

“This legislation underscores the continued need to modernize the Clean Air Act. Regulatory uncertainty continues to undermine U.S competitiveness and contributes to a structural cost disadvantage for American industry with respect to our major trading partners,” McCoy said.

“So long as key environmental programs continue to be based on federal regulation rather than legislation, these programs will remain vulnerable to litigation and create confusion and uncertainty among end-users,” he concluded.

08-210 CONTACTS:

LAURA NARVAIZ (202) 637-3104

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BRYAN BRENDLE (202) 222-5692

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