Comment from Jay Timmons, President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM):
Early in September, President Obama asked Lisa Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to withdraw the agency's proposed ozone standard that threatens jobs and economic growth.
This announcement arrives just as we received more concerning news about the economy: There were zero jobs added last month (August). This is a critical time for our economy, and these proposed standards threaten to send it over the precipice. The EPA estimated that the new regulation could cost as much as $90 billion. A study by the Manufacturing Alliance/MAPI concluded that the compliance costs could range as high as $1 trillion annually. Nevertheless, until today, it appeared the Administration would proceed with this voluntary action and set the ozone standard at a level that would be impossible to achieve.
Manufacturers have been engaged on this issue from day one. I met with Administrator Jackson and told her about the devastating impact the agency's discretionary action would have on manufacturers. I reiterated those concerns more recently when I met with the President's Chief of Staff Bill Daley. Today's decision is a sign that the Administration got manufacturers' message.
The President deserves credit for making this choice. He chose jobs over politics. But there are many more proposed regulations that could have devastating impacts on jobs and economic growth. We need to keep the pressure on the Administration. As the President's decision today demonstrates, our efforts are working.