Republican Rep. Bob Good of Virginia introduced a bill Thursday that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from imposing an expensive change to emissions reporting requirements.
The bill, dubbed the “Rein in the EPA Act,” would prevent EPA Administrator Michael Regan from finalizing, implementing or enforcing proposed changes to the Air Emissions Reporting Requirements (AERR), according to its text. The proposed regulation would overhaul how the EPA collects emissions data from non-federal agencies, expanding reporting to previously uncovered pollutants and sources while costing the American economy billions of dollars over the next decade, according to its entry in the Federal Register.
“The Biden Administration continues its assault on business owners by imposing more reporting requirements designed to push a radical climate agenda,” Good, who now chairs the House Freedom Caucus, told the DCNF regarding his bill. “My legislation fights back against the EPA’s regulatory tentacles and protects small businesses from unduly burdensome compliance requirements. The last thing our economy needs is more federal government intrusion.” (RELATED: Biden EPA’s Air Quality Rule Proposal Would Crush American Industry And Jobs, Executives Warn)
Rein in the EPA Act by Nick Pope
The EPA estimates that the changes to the AERR, if finalized, could cost up to $3 billion by 2033, according to the proposal’s Federal Register entry. While the agency asserts that the update would improve its access to key data to inform decision-making, it would also require numerous facilities and state, local and tribal agencies to either alter their own reporting systems to align with AERR, or to effectively double report their data to comply with the EPA’s proposal.
The agency projects that nearly 130,000 facilities nationwide would have to report their data if the proposed changes are finalized, according to the Federal Register entry.
The proposal would also require the reporting of new types of data, such as the geographic coordinates of point sources of pollutants and emissions caused by smaller pieces of equipment, such as boilers and internal combustion engines, according to its entry in the Federal Register. Additionally, the proposed reporting standards could facilitate future legal challenges filed by environmentalist groups, as the data will be available to the public.
Neither the EPA nor the White House responded immediately to requests for comment.
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