Steve Roush, Publisher and Editor
The recent ruling by an appeals court should cause concern for those in the U.S. pulp and paper industry.On June 26, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia unanimously ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) finding that carbon dioxide is a public danger and the decision to set limits for emissions is legal.
This means the EPA can move forward with its plan to regulate emissions from manufacturing facilities in the U.S.
It's a victory for the EPA and the Obama administration – and a major setback for pretty much everyone else, said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
“This ‘big win’ for the Obama EPA is a huge loss for every American, especially those in the heartland states which rely on fossil fuel development and the affordable energy that comes with it,” Senator Inhofe said. “EPA’s massive and complicated regulatory barrage will continue to punish job creators and further undermine our economy. This is the true agenda that President Obama is trying to hide under disingenuous re-election rhetoric about an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy.
“And what will Americans get in return for this regulatory nightmare? Even EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said that these rules will have no effect on the climate so it will be all pain for no environmental gain. (The) court ruling should be a wake-up call for the United States Senate to do its job and prevent what an author of the Clean Air Act amendments, Rep. (John) Dingell, called a ‘glorious mess.’ Last year, 64 senators went on record as wanting to stop these devastating greenhouse gas regulations from taking effect – it’s time they actually do so.”
Manufacturers that are in a position to invest, hire workers and grow should be rewarded and not punished, and that is exactly what the court's ruling does – it further punishes the hard-working private sector and struggling Americans trying hard to make a living.
This unnecessary barrage needs to stop, and Congress needs to step up and put a halt to these damaging and expensive regulations and diminish the power of the EPA.
The sooner, the better.
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