Bills to Delay Air Rules Clear Congressional Subcommittee

Twobillsto delay EPA air regulations cleared a subcommittee in the House of Representatives today. After two hours of spirited debate, the legislation advanced with no significant changes.The two bills target pending EPA rules to reduce air emissions from boilers and cement manufacturers. GOP members on the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power said passing the bills would further President Barack Obama’s efforts to create jobs and aid the economy.Kentucky Congressman Ed Whitfield is the chair of the subcommittee.“Neither the cement nor the boiler bill was part of the President’s jobs speech last week, but both should have been, as these bills clear away impediments to job creation in the years ahead,” he said.Both bills have been criticized by environmental groups, and Gina McCarthy, the head of Air for the EPA, told the committee last week that the agency didn’t need any more time to work on the rules.According to a database created by the committee’s Democratic staff, the House has voted on 125 bills they dub “anti-environment” since the GOP has been the majority. Fifty of those have targeted the Environmental Protection Agency directly, while others have addressed individual rules, like the Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act.