House Appropriators this afternoon voted to block an EPA rule that could severely undermine the domestic production of Portland cement, as they approved by voice vote an amendment by Congressman John Carter (R-TX) to block the agency from implementing the harsh new emissions rules.
Carter told Committee Members that while the cement industry supports new rules to reduce emissions from cement production, the current rules promulgated by EPA are as much as 500% more stringent than similar new rules to increase air quality proposed by the European Union. Carter further warned that the unreasonable EPA rules will likely prove counter-productive to U.S. and global air quality, as more cement production will be shifted to China with virtually no environmental protections, costing thousands of high-paying U.S. jobs in the process.
“Now is not the time to impose new regulations that push American production and jobs overseas,” Carter said. “We know that any increase of cement imports will come from developing nations such as China, with little or no emissions controls. The result will be increased imports of foreign cement as well as increases in unregulated global emissions.”
The Carter amendment prohibits any use of EPA funds to implement, administer, or enforce the new National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) rule for the manufacture of Portland Cement.
The Republican Conference Secretary earlier this year also introduced H.J. Res. 100, which would disapprove the regulations. Portland cement is the most-used material in construction worldwide.
