Chemicals lobbying group presses White House on reg review

Industry trade groups are quickly using the new White House regulatory review initiative to attack Environmental Protection Agency rules they allege will create burdens.

On Tuesday the National Association of Manufacturers took aim at EPA climate rules and a controversial proposal to impose tougher restrictions on commercial and industrial boilers.

The American Chemistry Council — which represents chemical companies — is also citing the regulatory initiative to criticize EPA, including plans to impose “maximum achievable control technology” standards for hazardous pollutants from boilers.

The trade group, in a letter Tuesday to White House budget chief Jacob Lew, calls for improving the “quality and scope” of economic models that federal agencies are using.

The letter alleges that various rules EPA has proposed under President Obama will jeopardize tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs. It also calls for more disclosure of economic assessments that agencies use.

“Currently, we are dealing with a proposed rule for industrial boilers and heaters (known as 'Boiler MACT') that, as proposed, we believe will jeopardize roughly 60,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs,” said ACC President Cal Dooley in the letter to Lew, who heads the Office of Management and Budget.

The letter cites reports that the Commerce Department estimates the rule will cause “significant” job losses, contradicting EPA’s public assessment.

“Despite requests from Congress, the administration has failed to release the Department of Commerce's study, making it difficult to determine the reason for the discrepancies and the true cost to business,” the letter states.

The White House has launched an initiative to ensure that federal rules are not stifling job creation and the economy.

Obama issued an executive order Tuesday that says agencies, when crafting rules, must protect the environment, public health and safety while “promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation.” It notes that they must use the “least burdensome” tools for achieving their goals.



The order also demands that agencies conduct “retrospective analyses” of existing rules that may be outmoded or too burdensome, and “modify, streamline, expand, or repeal them in accordance with what has been learned.”