Sessions: Excessive EPA regulations are hammering American industry

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., announced Wednesday that he is co-sponsoring a bill requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform an economic impact study prior to enforcing any new “job-crushing regulations.”

The Employment Impact Analysis Act cites a number of examples where the EPA claimed that a regulation would create jobs, while research firms reported that the same regulation would actually result in thousands of jobs lost.

EXAMPLES:

• EPA’s analysis of the Utility MACT rule estimated that implementation of the final rule would result in the creation of 46,000 temporary construction jobs and 8,000 net new permanent jobs. NERA’s whole economy analysis found that the rule would have a negative impact on the income of workers in an amount equivalent to 180,000 to 215,00 lost jobs in 2014, and 50,000 to 85,000 lost jobs each year thereafter.

• The EPA’s analysis of the Cross State Air Pollution rule estimated that implementation of the final rule would result in the creation of 700 jobs per year. NERA ‘s whole economy analysis found that the rule would result in the elimination of a total of 34,000 jobs from 2013 to 2037.

• EPA’s analysis of the Boiler MACT rule estimated that implementation of the final rule would result in the creation of 2,200 jobs per year. NERA’s whole economy analysis found that the rule would result in the elimination of 28,000 jobs per year from 2013 to 2037.

“EPA has continued to issue excessive regulations that hammer American industry, and are a critical factor in high unemployment and energy prices,” Sessions said. “These regulations are often issued without an adequate assessment of their real costs.”

Sessions pointed out real-world evidence of EPA regulations directly impacting Alabama jobs.

“One primary example involves the statutory requirement that EPA must evaluate the impact of proposed new air regulations on employment, which EPA ignores. From brick makers in Selma to coal miners near Jasper, I am constantly hearing concerns from constituents across our state about unwarranted EPA regulations that eliminate jobs. That is why I am cosponsoring the EPA Employment Impact Analysis Act, which would prohibit EPA from instituting new air regulations until the required jobs studies are performed.

Sessions also took a shot at the executive branch, which many conservatives believe has overstepped its Constitutional bounds during the Obama Administration.

“Congress — not the executive branch — makes laws,” Sessions said, “and EPA should not have the power to issue any regulations without following required procedures, especially those that hinder job creation and constrain economic growth.”

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