Rothfus Introduces FAIR Burdens Act

Press Release

Today Congressman Keith Rothfus [PA-12] introduced the Fighting Against Imbalanced Regulatory Burdens Act, or the FAIR Burdens Act. The bill will prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from imposing any restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants unless countries responsible for 80 percent of non-U.S. emissions have enacted similarly stringent policies. The United States is responsible for 16 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and has made considerable improvements in recent years. China, the world's largest emitter, is responsible for 28 percent of global emissions (33 percent of non-U.S. emissions). The next largest non-U.S. sources of carbon emissions are the European Union, India, Russia, and Japan.

"The American people cannot and should not be unfairly burdened with imbalanced and ineffective climate change rules. Other nations that are major contributors to global carbon must also commit to similarly stringent standards. Without greater cooperation from countries like China, imposing harsher regulatory burdens on the U.S. is unfair and will be a fast track for sending jobs overseas. It will also be ineffective. The EPA's own analysis of an already finalized major rule, the Clean Power Plan, suggests that it would only reduce global temperatures by 0.018 degrees Celsius by the end of the century," said Congressman Rothfus. "Abundant, affordable, and reliable energy is vital to well-paying jobs in Western Pennsylvania. Any policy we undertake should be carefully considered for effectiveness, fairness, and its impact on the lives and livelihoods of the American people."

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