The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging Congress to prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. In testimony before the Senate, William Kovacss, U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vice president of environment, technology, and regulatory affairs, warned that CO2 regulations could hit 1 million U.S. firms, Reuters reports.
According to Kovacs, the EPA currently issues about 15,000 permits a year under the Clean Air Act. That number could balloon to 1.2 million a year if CO2 emissions were regulated under the act.
Citing data from the U.S. Census and Energy Information Administration, a report (PDF) by the chamber says complying with CO2 regulations would create a regulatory backlog which could stall economic development.
"Congress has spent such a significant amount of time over the last several years debating climate policy that it certainly appears Congress believes it is the appropriate institution to make those policy determinations," said Kovacs.
John Walke, a former EPA attorney told Reuters that such talk is an effort to fan hysteria and avoid regulations. Walke believes the Bush administration will not regulate GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act in any manner and that the campaign is “simply a political message to the next administration and the next Congress.
Kovacs's full testimony before the Senate is available here.
Business in other countries such as Germany and Australia also warn that CO2 plans and regulations will affect businesses due to sky-high carbon taxes.
Earlier this month, leaked documents revealed that Britain is trying to weaken Europe's CO2 plan.
