Boehner says EPA's smog rule is a massive job killer, vows GOP Congress will fight it

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) warned Wednesday that the Obama administration's proposed regulations to reduce air pollution would create a huge new hurdle to job creation, and said Congress would continue working to stop these sorts of proposals.

"The Obama administration's massive new regulation - the most expensive rule ever proposed by the EPA - could slash family budgets by more than $1,500 per year, reduce GDP by trillions, and cost our economy millions of jobs," Boehner said.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy released a new smog regulation on Wednesday, one that House Speaker John Boehner said would crush U.S. job creation.
Image: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Boehner said Obama himself recognized the economic risk posed by the regulation years ago, when it was delayed. Boehner noted that at the time, Obama said it was important to cut regulatory burdens when possible.

"Those concerns are no less valid today, as millions remain unemployed and middle-class families continue struggling with higher costs and stagnant wages," Boehner said.

House Republicans have routinely passed legislation aimed at easing various regulations the Obama administration has put forward, in an effort to spur job creation. The Democratic Senate has ignored most of those bills, but Boehner said Congress would take up this task again next year, when the Senate is led by Republicans.

"The new American Congress will continue listening to the American people, and take action to protect middle-class families, and our economy, from the Obama administration's regulatory onslaught," Boehner said.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it is proposing new regulations under the Clean Air Act that would look to reduce ground-level ozone, or smog, to a range of 65 to 70 parts per billion. The EPA said current law requires it to review smog standards every five years, and that it last set a standard of 75 parts per billion in 2008.

"Bringing ozone pollution standards in line with the latest science will clean up our air, improve access to crucial air quality information, and protect those most at-risk," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "It empowers the American people with updated air quality information to protect our loved ones - because whether we work or play outdoors – we deserve to know the air we breathe is safe."

But Boehner is not the only Republican warning that the new standard would impose drastic costs on companies and consumers. House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), and Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) warned that it would be the most expensive air regulation to date.

"This Thanksgiving, families in Michigan and across the country are giving thanks for the glimmer of an economic recovery, but this proposal threatens to slam the door on new economic growth and job creation and stop our energy and manufacturing renaissance in its tracks," Upton said.

"We have seen a lot of destructive rules stem from President Obama's EPA, but this one has the potential to be the most expensive and one of the most burdensome," Whitfield said. "EPA is proposing to adopt new standards that could be nearly impossible to meet, especially for areas of the country still struggling to comply with the current ozone standard."

In its Wednesday statement, the EPA ignored the idea that the rule would hurt job creation, and instead argued that it would lead to healthier air that comes with its own economic benefits.

"If the standards are finalized, every dollar we invest to meet them will return up to three dollars in health benefits," EPA said. "These large health benefits will be gained from avoiding asthma attacks, heart attacks, missed school days and premature deaths, among other health effects valued at $6.4 to $13 billion annually in 2025 for a standard of 70 ppb, and $19 to $38 billion annually in 2025 for a standard of 65 ppb."

The EPA would give states from 2020 to 2037 to meet the new standards, and has created a 90-day period during which the public can submit comments on the rule.