Energy and Commerce Leaders Welcome EPA's Proposed Revisions to Cement Rules

Statement

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed revisions to its cement sector rules, including extending the date for compliance. Last fall, the House passed H.R. 2681, the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act, directing EPA to re-propose the rules so they are both economically and technically achievable.

"We welcome EPA's proposed changes to make the cement rules more workable and achievable. The revisions will provide businesses with greater certainty, more flexibility, and will help protect thousands of American jobs. EPA's original rules were estimated to cost over $3.4 billion and spur thousands of layoffs. These revisions incorporate the kind of commonsense reforms the House supported in its passage of Rep. John Sullivan's Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI).

"This is a welcome development in the fight to scale back EPA's radical regulatory agenda and to protect thousands of American jobs. The House passed my bill with strong bipartisan support -- sending a clear message to EPA that their previous rule, which threaten to shut down up to 20% of U.S. cement manufacturing plants -- was unacceptable. With over 14 million Americans out of work, Congress must focus on removing burdensome regulations and barriers that are destroying American jobs. The simple fact is that cement is the backbone for the construction of our nation's buildings, roads and bridges. My bill, which addressed EPA's unworkable rules, was intended to ensure that the cement we use is made in America and not imported from China," said Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK), author of H.R. 2681 and Vice Chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee.

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