FreedomWorks Applauds the House Energy and Power Subcommittee’s Efforts to Prevent EPA Over-Regulation

FreedomWorks applauds Chairman Fred Upton and the House Energy and Power Subcommittee for their efforts to rein in the overzealous Environmental Protection Agency.  Today, Upton’s subcommittee approved H.R. 910, the “Energy Tax Prevention Act,” which amends the Clean Air Act so it cannot be used by the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases.  Without this legislation, the agency will continue with its plan to implement burdensome new rules and regulations on American businesses that will have a significant negative impact on America’s economy while having virtually no positive impact on global temperatures.

“The Clean Air Act was never intended to regulate greenhouse gases,” said Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks.  “It’s an implausible stretch to say that it does, and the EPA knows this.  In fact, they have crafted a dubious ‘tailoring rule’ to limit the devastating impact of the rule.  But the Clean Air Act does not really allow for the arbitrary power to decide who is and who isn’t covered by the Act.  The EPA has overreached.  Rep. Upton’s legislation is important reality check for the EPA.”

The Clean Air Act was designed to clean up urban air quality and has done so by targeting clearly specified criteria pollutants.  The act was never designed to regulated greenhouse gases or as a backdoor tool for a cap and trade program. 

H.R. 910 prevents the EPA from interpreting the act as such and placing unnecessary, burdensome regulations on Americans.  FreedomWorks applauds Chairman Upton and the House Energy and Power Subcommittee for realizing the need to prevent the EPA juggernaut from exceeding its mandate to regulate beyond the wishes of the American people and the authority granted to the agency by Congress.