Bradley Byrne: Rolling back EPA overreach
Last week, the House of Representatives, once again, found ourselves having to pass a bill to roll back overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is one of the most out-of-control agencies in the entire federal government. It seems like every week the EPA comes out with a new regulation on everything from power plants to light bulbs to brick companies. The EPA was created in 1970 for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment in implementing laws passed by Congress. Since that time, the agency has grown in both scope and scale, establishing overly burdensome regulations on their own. Many of these unattainable standards have been damaging to our economy and to our competitiveness as a nation. I understand the importance of protecting our environment, but it is imperative we seek the appropriate balance between environmental safeguards and the ability for American industry to achieve success. This time, we found ourselves having to push back against the EPA as it relates to regulation of the brick industry. Last September, the EPA finalized a new rule, known as Brick MACT, that set stringent standards for brick industry emissions of mercury and non-mercury pollutants. EPA estimates that the industry-wide annual compliance with the proposed rule would cost $25 million. Industry estimates are that the costs may be as much as $100 million per year. Unlike some of the other industries targeted by EPA overreach, the brick industry is dominated by small, family-owned businesses that have already been struggling in our current economy. The brick industry employs thousands of Americans at more than 70 brick plants and countless supporting facilities across the country. Alabama is one of the top five states for brick manufacturing capacity and faces some of the largest number of losses should this new rule go into effect. That’s why the House stepped in and passed H.R. 4557, the BRICK Act of 2016. This legislation passed with bipartisan support, including the vote of my Alabama Democrat colleague, Terri Sewell. The American people are sick and tired of a federal government that is out of control. They are sick of federal bureaucrats putting forward ill-advised rules and regulations that kill American jobs. I can’t imagine the founders of our country at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia saying “now let’s think about a government agency established under our Constitution to regulate bricks.” They would be appalled if they saw what the federal bureaucracy has become. The American people want their representatives in Congress to fight back against this overreach. We must protect the American people from this regulation run amuck and help save their jobs. There is some good news. Since Republicans took control of the House in 2012, we have used the power of the purse to roll back some of the EPA’s influence. In fact, we have cut the EPA back to 1989 staff levels, but our efforts don’t stop there. We have also blocked EPA’s coal dust rule and their regulation of lead ammunition. Despite these efforts, more work is most certainly needed. Congress must do even more to take power away from the EPA and reassert our Constitutional authority. I intend to continue leading the charge for a smaller, less intrusive federal government that gets out of the way so our economy can grow. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
This week in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate: Feb. 29 – Mar. 4, 2016
The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate both have a busy week ahead, as the House will focus on delaying an EPA rule described by opponents as job-killing and tackling a Medicaid issue, meanwhile the Senate will take on legislation to address drug abuse. House Schedule On Monday and Tuesday, the House is in session and will consider several bills under Suspension of the Rules. A full list of bills can be found here. On the floor this week: H.R. 3716: the Ensuring Terminated Providers are Removed from Medicaid and CHIP Act. The bill requires states to notify the Health and Human Services Department of health care providers who are terminated from the state’s Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) program because of fraud or other “for cause” reasons, and for HHS to maintain a database of terminated providers in order to prevent them from participating in another state’s Medicaid program. It also requires each state to publish a directory of health care and dental providers that accept Medicaid. Alabama co-sponsor(s): None. H.R. 4557: the Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act. The bill delays new EPA rules that establish national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for the manufacturing of brick and structural clay products or clay ceramics until all judicial reviews are completed. Alabama co-sponsor(s): Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) On Friday, the House is not in session. Highlights of what is happening in House Committees this week: Budget Season: Budget season continues with the Natural Resources Committee holding a related hearing. The House Appropriations committee has also begun its FY17 hearing slate, a full list of those hearings can be found here. Executive Overreach Task Force: On Tuesday, the Executive Overreach Task Force will hold a hearing titled “The Original Understanding of the Role of Congress and How Far We’ve Drifted From It.” More information here. Encryption: On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans’ Security and Privacy.” More information here. Jobs: On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing titled “Getting Incentives Right: Connecting Low-Income Individuals with Jobs.” More information here. Veterans: On Wednesday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a joint hearing on “The Legislative Presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.” On Thursday, the Committees will hold another joint hearing on “The legislative presentation from AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Blinded Veterans Association, Gold Star Wives of America, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the National Guard Association of the United States.” More information here and here, respectively. SNAP: On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing titled “Past, Present, and Future of SNAP: Examining State Options.” More information here. World Threats: On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “World Wide Threats.” More information here. Senate Schedule The Senate will resume legislative business on Monday. Up for consideration this week, S. 524: the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bill that would award grants to address the national epidemics of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use. Alabama co-sponsor(s): None. Highlights of what is happening in Senate Committees this week: Homeland Security: On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing to consider the Transportation Security Administration’s FY 2017 budget request. More Homeland: On Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to consider nominations Jobs: On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Distortion of EB-5 Targeted Employment Areas: Time to End the Abuse.” More Homeland: On Thursday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Dogs of DHS: How Canine Programs Contribute to Homeland Security.” Nominations: On Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to consider nominations and legislation.
