Critics contest EPA CO2 regulation
TEXT OF STORY
Steve Chiotakis: There is a Senate hearing today on the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual budget. Now that includes President Obama’s proposed $43 million in new funding to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Marketplace’s Sarah Gardner reports from the sustainability desk it could turn into a climate regulations debate.
Sarah Gardner: President Obama has vowed that if Congress won’t regulate global warming emissions, the EPA will. But industry groups are lining up to oppose EPA regulation. Sixteen lawsuits have been filed and critics in Congress are pushing resolutions to block it.
Robert Dillon is a spokesman for Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska:
Robert Dillon: It’s not a good time to unleash these kind of regulations on the American economy when we’re still trying to recover from the worst recession in decades.
But William Becker, head of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, says even if Congress stops the EPA, the fight’s not over:
William Becker: The industry who is opposing this is not necessarily going to win the battle, because states will still retain their rights to move forward.
Coal-state Senator Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat, plans to introduce legislation this week to postpone EPA carbon limits for two years.
I’m Sarah Gardner for Marketplace.
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