For the last year, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has led the fight against a massive expansion of federal regulations that continue to threaten countless jobs and further undercut our economic recovery.  People in Michigan know that jobs must be our top priority – it is time for federal bureaucrats to recognize that as well.
 
To get our economy turned in the right direction, Washington must understand the fundamental economic principle that reducing regulatory burdens is imperative to spur job growth and give businesses the certainty they need to invest and expand.  Our future depends on our economic growth, and that growth depends on our regulatory future.  The President’s recent decision to finally scrap his administration’s controversial ozone regulations was a positive step toward job growth.  It was also an acknowledgment of the detrimental impact such overreaching regulations continue to have.
 
Over the last week, the House has passed two bills crafted by the Energy and Commerce Committee aimed at providing American job creators with meaningful regulatory relief.  The Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2681) aims to provide a legislative stay of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) unattainable “cement MACT” regulations for U.S. cement manufacturers.  Increased costs and regulatory uncertainty for the American cement industry – the foundation of nearly all infrastructure projects – would increase costs for these projects and likely drive thousands of American jobs overseas.
 
The EPA Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2250) seeks to provide relief from EPA’s issued “boiler MACT” regulations.  It is estimated that these new stringent rules will otherwise impose billions of dollars in capital and compliance costs, increase the cost of many goods and services, and puts over 200,000 additional jobs at risk.
 
The President has indicated a willingness to look at unnecessary and burdensome regulations that do more harm than good.  I would encourage the President to continue down this path, keeping in mind the Hippocratic Oath when considering jobs and our economy – first, do no harm.

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