Blocking Regulatory Interference From Closing Kilns Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to voice my support for H.R. 4557, the BRICK Act.

I want to tell a story about a small company in my hometown of Selma, Alabama. Henry Brick Company has been a family-owned business since 1945, providing jobs and economic support to the Black Belt of Alabama.

In 2003, the EPA passed a rule requiring Henry Brick Company, along with all other brick and structural clay manufacturers, to reduce their air pollutant emissions.

In order to meet these new regulations by 2006, Henry Brick Company of Selma, Alabama, spent $1.5 million to come into compliance with the rule. This was a major financial burden for this small company, but Henry Brick Company is a good corporate citizen and understands the importance of protecting our environment.

However, 1 year after they spent $1.5 million, the courts vacated the EPA's 2003 regulation. So the EPA went back to the drawing board to create a new rule, but they did not give these brick companies credit for emission reductions achieved under the previous rule.

On the contrary, in their new rule, the EPA actually used the emission reductions achieved under the vacated rule as a baseline for further reduction requirements.

Now, Henry Brick Company faces a new brick and clay manufacturing rule with even stricter emissions requirements and must come into compliance by December 2018.

This time the small company may have to spend up to $8 million to comply with the new emissions standards, leaving Henry Brick Company one step closer to being forced to close their doors.

I am supportive, Mr. Speaker, of reducing emissions, and I am also in favor of protecting our environment. But this must be done in an economically viable way. It is simply unfair for regulators to continue to move the goalposts on small brick manufacturers like Henry Brick Company.

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Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. That is why I support this legislation to delay the enforcement of the new EPA rule until all of the legal challenges have been concluded.

This is a necessary and commonsense bill. I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on final passage.

I want to thank Representative Johnson of Ohio and all of those that are working hard to make sure that small brick companies, like Henry Brick Company of Selma, Alabama, do not have to close its doors.

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