Part 2 of a review started in the March 15 inaugural issue of HOSECONNECTIONS
NAHAD reported that the EPA was getting ready to enforce strict regulations on industrial boilers and incinerators. The following is an open letter from the president of the National Association of Manufacturers.
By Jay Timmons
President & CEO of National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
Manufacturers achieved a significant victory Monday (May 16, 2011) when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will delay new regulations on industrial boilers and solid waste incinerators, the so-called Boiler MACT rules that could impose huge costs on the economy and damage job creation.
The EPA's decision acknowledges the effective and tireless work the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and our member companies and associations (like NAHAD) have undertaken on this issue. In April, the NAM and other industry groups petitioned the EPA to stay the implementation of the rules, originally made final in March.
We're pleased the EPA appears to be responsive to the concerns of manufacturers and aware of the impact the new rules could have on job creators and the economy.
We must, however, continue to stay active on the Boiler MACT issue. The EPA's decision only postpones the implementation of the rules, so manufacturers very well may still bear the brunt of these burdensome regulations in the future. The NAM will remain engaged on this issue, both with the Administration and Congress, so that manufacturers can focus on creating jobs and leading the economic recovery.
The NAM is proving itself a leader in countering the EPA's aggressive agenda, including the agency's effort to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, ozone, coal ash to name just a few of the many EPA proposals that threaten manufacturers' ability to succeed in the competitive global marketplace. As the EPA's announcement Monday demonstrates, our work is paying off. And you can be sure, that work will continue.