Political Quotes

“The majority of U.S. brick and ceramic plants are small, family-owned operations, often located in rural communities that depend on the plant for their very livelihood, for the good-paying jobs. They have built some of the most recognizable buildings, cities, and towns in existence across America, including many within my district in eastern and southeastern Ohio. Unfortunately, these industries have borne the brunt of an unpredictable regulatory process that is nearly two decades in the making. In 2003, the EPA required brickmakers to install expensive new equipment to comply with the Agency's Maximum Achievable Control Technology, or their MACT rule. In 2007, after companies spent millions to implement these controls, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the D.C. Circuit vacated the rule. Our brickmakers now find themselves in a very similar situation today. In 2015, the EPA again finalized a rule requiring the industry to once again invest in similar control equipment technologies. Additionally, this new regulation uses the emission reductions achieved under the vacated regulation as a baseline for further emission reductions. In other words, the EPA, under the former administration, chose not to recognize the great strides this industry achieved under the previously vacated rule. The Agency neglected to take this past regulatory and compliance history into consideration. Mr. Speaker, that is simply not right. The bill before us today, H.R.…”