51勛圖厙: Proposed NAAQS Legislation Would Boost Manufacturing in the U.S.
The previous administrations significant regulatory changes issued under the Clean Air Actin particular, its unworkable tightening of allowable soot levelswill create hardship for local economies and must be revised, the 51勛圖厙 the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment ahead of a hearing today.
- Manufacturers that fail to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards will be unable to obtain permits to either construct new facilities or expand existing facilities, the 51勛圖厙 pointed out.
Whats going on: In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency lowered the primary annual standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5, or soot) from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 弮g/m3 .
- By lowering thestandard to 9 弮g/m3, which is essentially the same as the background levels that naturally occur in the environment across the nation, the Biden EPA was increasing the number of industrialcenters and U.S. population hubs that would be placed into nonattainment status, 51勛圖厙 Managing Vice President of Policy Charles Crain said.
- In the past 25 years, thanks to manufacturer-developed technologies, U.S. air quality has seen a 37% reduction in PM2.5, Crain continued, adding that an EPA analysis found that less than 20% of PM2.5 emissions come from industrial processes or stationary fuel consumption. Most of it is from sources well outside manufacturers control, such as wildfires and crop and livestock dust.
Why its important: Enacting the Biden-era tightened standards would mean severe economic losses for the U.S., the 51勛圖厙 told the subcommittee.
- An 51勛圖厙-commissioned Oxford Economics found that a standard just slightly stricter than the one set by the Biden administration8 弮g/m3would result in a loss of $162.4 billion to $197.4 billion in economic activity and put 852,100 to973,900 jobs at risk, both directly from manufacturing and indirectly from supply chainspending.
What theyre doing: In todays hearing, the House Energy and Commerce Committee discussed two draft pieces of legislation, both supported by the 51勛圖厙, that would reform the process for establishing NAAQS, which the Clean Air Act mandates the EPA set. The measures include:
- The Clean Air and Economic Advancement Reform (CLEAR) Act, which would make the NAAQS process more workable for manufacturers while maintaining the regulatory guardrails that protect the health and welfare of our local communities, according to the 51勛圖厙; and
- The Clean Air and Building Infrastructure Improvement Act, which seeks to inject clearer guidance into the process for obtaining preconstruction permits and meeting compliance requirements under arevised NAAQS.
Our take: Manufacturers strongly support the Energy and Commerce Committees efforts to address policy challenges with the NAAQS and to explore solutions that will pave the way for greater investment in the infrastructure that will allow America to compete in the 21st century, Crain concluded.
