Ted Yoho: “I would like to thank Chairman Calvert, along with the ranking member, for the work he and the committee have done. My…”

“I would like to thank Chairman Calvert, along with the ranking member, for the work he and the committee have done. My amendment prevents the EPA from using any funds in the bill to change ozone regulations, regardless of whether or not all counties meet the 2008 standards. As of 2012 and based on the 2008 ozone standards as designated by the EPA, 24 mainland States were in attainment, including my home State of Florida. An additional four States had either partial attainment or whole counties had marginal attainment. What I find most interesting is the areas of our Nation that have consistently been designated as nonattainment by the EPA. This includes most of California, parts of Texas, and the mid-Atlantic States. These counties have had nearly 20 years to change their policies and abide by the ozone standards. Under the newly proposed standards, a fair amount of the country would be designated as nonattainment areas. Why should the remainder of the country be subject to new standards when parts of the country have yet to meet the 2008 or even 2009 standards? Making this change will have serious economic implications on the States and counties that have already proactively worked to reduce their emissions, all at a time when the Nation is still recovering from one of the worst economic recessions of our lifetime. Furthermore, I would like to remind my colleagues of the recent Supreme Court decision, Michigan, et al., v. Environmental Protection Agency.…”