October 6, 2011

Jeb Hensarling

Hensarling: “The Cement MACT regulations represent the worst kind of Washington red tape. They are anti-jobs, anti-business, and anti-common sense.”

WASHINGTON – House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) issued the following statement today in support of H.R. 2681, the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011, to relieve job creators of the expensive and excessively onerous restrictions imposed by the EPA through its new Cement MACT (maximum achievable control technology) rules. 

“In this time of record poverty and record unemployment, Washington should be at the side of job creators, not on their backs. With this bill, employers across America would be saved from the EPA’s oppressive Cement MACT rules that studies say would cost billions in capital and thousands of jobs. 

“Karl Watson, a Texas job creator and president of Texas-based CEMEX USA, has said in no uncertain terms what would happen if the Cement MACT rules were allowed to go into effect: ‘For our industry, it’s probably going to be 18-20 plants that just will not be able to comply with this, either physically or economically, and they’ll close down.’ Thanks to this bill, that will not have to happen. 

“Our nation’s infrastructure would not exist without cement. The new Cement MACT rules not only threaten cement producers, but their customers as well. It’s no surprise that the EPA says these rules would cost the industry an astonishing $2.2 billion, or that the Portland Cement Association has already warned Congress about the direct loss of up to 4,000 jobs after the rules’ implementation.

“America’s businesses should be able to depend on federal regulations to keep our economy free, competition fair, and customers safe. Unfortunately, the Cement MACT regulations represent the worst kind of Washington red tape. They are anti-jobs, anti-business, and anti-common sense. 

“House Republicans support smart regulations that instill confidence in job creators, not abusive red tape that only leads to lost investments, closed factories and longer unemployment lines. This bill is just one more product of our Plan for America’s Job Creators to restore the freedom and confidence our private sector needs to grow again.”

###