Rep. Graves Votes To Block EPA Bid To Tax Energy

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-09) issued the following statement after voting for H.R. 910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act, which blocks the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gasses:

"When I ask folks running companies in the ninth district about what inhibits the growth of their business and the addition of new jobs, the number one problem is always the regulatory burden and the constant threat of new regulations. Chief among the threats is the EPA's self-proclaimed authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

"The Obama Administration has long sought a cap-and-trade style national energy tax, and since that plan failed to pass Congress, the EPA's bid to regulate greenhouse gasses is clearly an attempt to circumvent lawmakers and impose damaging regulations on their own.

"Under this kind of energy tax scheme, even President Obama admitted that energy prices would "necessarily skyrocket" and that businesses would pass their increased costs on to consumers. It's a recipe for economic disaster, and the American people shouldn't have to fear anymore economic hardship imposed by the champions of government expansion.

"If the EPA had its way, the Heritage Foundation estimates annual job losses of 800,000 would result from the cost of obtaining emissions credits, getting various new permits, and complying with redesigning and retrofitting of facilities. In a district like Georgia's ninth, where 62,000 people are employed in manufacturing, the impact of a rogue EPA would be devastating.

"By passing H.R. 910 today, House Republicans have made a pact with employees and employers across America that we will fight to keep the tentacles of big government out of their lives and off their balance sheets."

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