Floor Statements
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REMARKS BY SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN ON THE FLOOR OF THE U.S. SENATE REGARDING THE MURKOWSKI DISAPPROVAL RESOLUTION RELATED TO THE EPA ENDANGERMENT FINDINGS
June 10, 2010
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) made the following remarks on the floor of the United States Senate regarding the Murkowski Disapproval Resolution related to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Endangerment Findings:
“Mr. President: I am here today to speak in support of the Murkowski Resolution before us. The American people deserve to fully understand what this vote is really about and what is at stake for them if Congress fails to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from unilaterally imposing massive regulations that will damage our economy and destroy jobs.
“I want to be very clear: This vote is not about the science of climate change. It is not about whether Congress should or should not create policies to limit carbon emissions. It is not about protecting oil companies or, as the White House has absurdly claimed, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
“What this debate, and this resolution, is really about whether the American people get a say in our Nation’s energy policy through their elected representatives or if they will be bound to the whims of the unelected bureaucrats at the EPA. More importantly, it is about protecting the American people from a crippling backdoor energy tax that we, and small business and large cannot afford.
“I wish I could provide you with a detailed assessment of the impact EPA’s proposed regulations would have on our economy, but the EPA has refused to provide Congress a comprehensive analysis of the potential economic impacts. To paraphrase House Speaker Pelosi’s comment that we have to pass ObamaCare so we can find out what is in it, I guess EPA will need to impose new regulations on six million building, facilities, farms, and other ‘stationary sources’ before we find out how much it will cost or the impact it will have on our economy.
“There is one thing we can all agree on: allowing the EPA to be turned loose on the American people is a terrible idea and will be extremely expensive. A spokesman from the Edison Electric Institute, which supports Congressional efforts to pass a cap and trade bill, stated that the only certainty is that EPA regulations to limit carbon emissions would be far more expensive than if done by Congress and let’s not forget that we now know that the cap and trade legislation passed in the House may cost families upwards of $1000 a year.
“In fact, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) warned that, ‘making the decision to regulate CO2 under the Clean Air Act for the first time is likely to have serious economic consequences for regulated entities throughout the U.S. economy, including small business and small communities.’”
“Even some bureaucrats at the EPA must have realized how crippling these regulations would be to small businesses and farmers which is why they have proposed a ‘tailoring rule’ to delay the effect these regulations would have on the American public. Unfortunately for the American people, the tailoring rule stands on shaky legal ground.
“Demonstrating an unparalleled disregard for Congressional intent, the EPA is attempting to make the case that Congress intended to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, even though green house gas emissions were not formally addressed by the Act. Conversely, EPA claims that the tons per year threshold set by Congress in the Clean Air Act should not apply to green house gases. In simpler terms, EPA believes that although Congress didn’t cover green house gasses under the Clean Air Act, it really did. And although Congress set thresholds for covered pollutants, it really didn’t.
“Finally, for those that claim this is somehow about protecting oil companies, I suggest we listen to what over 425 companies and organizations are saying about these proposed regulations. Small business men and women across the country are telling us that EPA’s proposed greenhouse gas requirements will stifle economic growth and disadvantage them in the global marketplace. I suggest we listen.
“I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and protect the rights of the American people to have their elected officials debate and vote on policies that will have real-world impacts on our households and the national economy.”
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