Issue Alert: EPA Proposed Greenhouse Gas Regulation –

Attend conference call to learn how proposed regulatory increases threaten to expand the federal government’s authority to police carbon emissions from office buildings to churches to small businesses.

On July 11, 2008, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on greenhouse gasses (GHGs). The ANPR is a preliminary step in the EPA’s rulemaking process, usually designed to request public input. In most cases ANPRs precede significant determination of policy direction by the EPA. In this case, the GHG ANPR sets forth a proposed plan of action which could have broad impacts to the nation’s economy. 

The ANRP is a result of a 5-4 United States Supreme Court ruling issued in April 2007 in the case Massachusetts v. EPA. In this ruling, the Supreme Court sided with environmentalists and a group of states Attorneys General agreeing that the EPA does in fact have authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles through the Clean Air Act. 

If the EPA continues to proceed in the direction established in the ANPR, in regards to regulating greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act, there will be a significant expansion of the universe of regulated entities. 

“Carbon emitters” from churches to small business to office buildings and hospitals could be subject to extensive permitting requirements similar to those applied to major industrial emitters of non-naturally occurring pollutants like lead, nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide.

ATTEND INFORMATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL!
In order to provide additional information on the potentially devastating impacts of this proposed expansion of regulatory authority, The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry will host a conference call featuring Bill Kovacs, vice president of environment, technology and regulatory affairs for the United States Chamber of Commerce, to discuss the current status of the ANPR, the potential impacts, and what Missourians can do to achieve a more acceptable resolution to the issue of greenhouse gas regulation. Mr. Kovacs will join a conference call at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday December 9^th.  If you are interested in participating in the call please RSVP by contacting Amanda Yoder at (573)634-3511 or ayoder@mochamber.com. 

For more information about this issue, contact Trent Summers, Missouri Chamber director of environmental and regulatory affairs, at 573-634-3511 or by email at tsummers@mochamber.com.