On the recordOctober 5, 2011
Additionally, lost supplies of cement resulting from closure of cement plants would also drive up the cost of infrastructure projects and potentially limit the number of projects that may be undertaken. Now, some of the opponents of this commonsense, bipartisan legislation, including President Obama, say this legislation weakens the Clean Air Act. Nothing could be further from the truth. H.R. 2681 does not change or modify any existing public health protections. It simply directs the EPA to establish regulations achievable in practice by real-world cement plants. At a time of great economic uncertainty, this is something worth doing for the health of our economy. I do not know if the President is watching, but right now jobs are not being created and our economy is not growing. The cement sector is struggling in the current economic climate and in the face of foreign competition from abroad. President Obama likes to talk about the need to invest in our Nation's infrastructure, and this legislation will remove one of the several barriers to growth in the construction and manufacturing industries. I am amazed he is opposed to this bipartisan measure, and I encourage my colleagues to support this.
