An article written by Politico Pro highlights the NAM’s efforts to advocate for a more balanced approach from the EPA that doesn’t hurt manufacturers’ competitiveness. The article quotes the Partnership for a Better Energy Future, a coalition of over 150 organizations co-founded by the NAM in response to the Administration’s greenhouse gas regulatory agenda as saying, “The Partnership has engaged EPA constructively in this process” and has begun planning for future activities “to make our concerns heard loud and clear.” Should NAM members want to read the full article for free, they may contact National Association of Manufacturers Account Manager Molly Fluet atmfluet@politico.com.
Bloomberg (5/30, Dorning) reports that the message from NAM vice president Ross Eisenberg is that the EPA’s new rules are a real threat to jobs in the US. Lower energy costs give business “an extraordinary advantage,” said Eisenberg. “Manufacturers are on the verge of a comeback here,” he added. “Don’t mess that up.” Eisenberg explained that the National Association of Manufacturers considers the rules on power plants a stepping-stone to future regulations in a wide range of industries, especially the carbon-intensive industries of cement- making, iron and steel, pulp and paper, natural gas and petroleum refining. The article reports that NAM and the Chamber of Commerce have joined in a coalition prepared to fight the new rules.
US Chamber Says President’s Climate Plan Has Significant Economic Downside. Bloomberg News (5/29, Drajem) reports that the National Association of Manufacturers is spearheading a drive against expected new rules from the EPA. The US Chamber of Commerce released a report arguing that the President’s climate change plan could cost the national economy “$50 billion per a year” and the “elimination of 224,000 jobs.” The release of the Chamber report signals “that the political battle over the president’s plan will be fought over dollars and cents.”
Environment & Energy Publishing (5/30, Chemrick) reports NAM partnered with the Center for 21st Century Energy, part of the Chamber of Commerce, to release the report with the Chamber. The groups argue “that the rule EPA will proposeMonday would be an economic disaster.” Environmental and White House spokesmen attacked the report for the assumptions it made, but advocates on Capitol Hill defended the report, “arguing that the administration was hiding the true cost of its regulatory agenda by seeking to discredit the” groups that authored the report.
The New York Times (5/29, Davenport, Subscription Publication) reports that on Monday, President Obama “will use his executive authority to propose a global warming regulation that would cut carbon pollution from” existing coal-fired power plants “by up to 20 percent” and would also “pave the way for the creation of state cap-and-trade programs without having to go through a reluctant Congress.” The Environmental Protection Agency’s new regulations would “be the strongest action ever taken by an American president to tackle climate change and could become one of the defining elements of Mr. Obama’s legacy.”
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