Thune, Manchin Introduce Bill to Block Expensive EPA Regulation that Hinders Economic Opportunities

Press Release

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) today introduced a bill to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing costly regulations that would increase energy prices, curb job growth, and hinder economic opportunities by setting the ground-level ozone standard at an unprecedented low level. Thune and Manchin's bill, The Clean Air, Strong Economies (CASE) Act, would stem the economic harm from a lower ozone standard by requiring the EPA to focus on the worst areas for air quality before lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone across the country.

"Lowering the ground-level ozone standard would be a staggering blow to our economy," said Thune. "The Obama EPA needs to focus its efforts on areas already struggling with attainment, not strangle American industry with a job-killing regulation that could slash our GDP by $1.7 trillion through 2040 and destroy 1.4 million jobs per year. In South Dakota alone, a lower standard would cost thousands of jobs in manufacturing, mining, and construction, and severely cut household spending by over $1,200 per year. Our bill takes a sensible stand against this aggressive EPA and puts American jobs and communities first."

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