Luetkemeyer Supports Effort to Gather Facts on True Cost of EPA Rules

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) today voted in favor of the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act, legislation that requires a comprehensive review of proposed and recently issued EPA regulations. Many of these regulations have the potential to impose tens of billions of dollars in compliance costs, eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs, drive up the price of energy, and reduce U.S. competitiveness in an increasingly global economy.

"When I meet with folks back home one of the first concerns they share is over the oppressive regulatory environment being pursued by the current administration," Luetkemeyer said. "It is vital that we gather the facts on the numerous job killing rules and regulations that are currently being pushed by the EPA, and that's exactly what this bill does."

The TRAIN Act requires an interagency panel made up of experts from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to assess the combined impacts of large environmental regulations on our nation's global economic competitiveness. The legislation will assess the implications of regulations on consumers, small businesses, state, local and tribal governments, local and industry-specific labor markets, and agriculture. The interagency panel will make available a draft report for public comment and will respond to the comments in the final report.

The legislation also delays the implementation of EPA's controversial Utility Maximum Available Control Technology rule and new Transport Rule to ensure that the economic impacts of these two major regulations in conjunction with other EPA mandates are fully understood. NERA Economic Consulting projects the combined costs of these two rules could amount to $17.8 billion annually with a total cost of $184 billion (present value) from 2011 to 2030. The rules are also estimated to result in 1.44 million lost job-years by 2020 and an increase in electricity prices by 12 percent nationally and as high as 24 percent in certain states by 2016.

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