EPA Endangerment Finding Implications: Comments from an Aggrieved Party

It has been reported that 16 lawsuits have been officially filed against the EPA endangerment finding, a ruling by the agency that allows them to regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants under the Clean Air Act. The endangerment finding was released in December of 2009 and allows the agency to impose massive new regulatory mandates.  These 16 aggrieved parties are challengeing various aspects of the finding, including the underlying science and the fact that the agency has failed to evaluate the impact such massive regulations will have on small businesses.  


According to an E&E report, John Engler, President of the National Association of Manufacturers, asserts;



If EPA moves forward and begins regulating stationary sources, it will open the door for them to regulate everything from industrial facilities to farms to even American homes.


Engler also stated;



Such a move would further complicate a permitting process that EPA is not equipped to handle, while increasing costs to the manufacturing sector. These costly burdens and uncertainty will stifle job creation and harm our competitiveness in a global economy.


Before the deadline, lawsuits were filed by industry groups, conservative think tanks, lawmakers and three states.


Given the variety of parties filing suit against the EPA’s ambitious agenda, it should make people question whether unelected officials at a bureaucratic agency should be proposing sweeping new regulations on American energy consumption before Congress has had an opportunity to fully asses the potential impacts of such regulations. People should also wonder whether higher energy bills and decreased production will have any impact on global temperatures, especially when nations such as India and China have refused to impose strict new regulations on their economy.  Sen. Lisa Murkowski has wondered about these issues and that is why she introduced a resolution of disapproval that would keep the EPA from imposing new regulations through the backdoor before Congress has even completed its work on climate change.