WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- By requiring 28 states and the District of Columbia to control cross-border air pollution, Washington is getting in the way of economic growth, a lawmaker said.
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said new rules on air pollution issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency come with economic consequences.
"The goal for these rules should be reasonable regulation that protects public health and the environment while also preserving economic growth," said Upton in a statement. "Unfortunately, the unprecedented pace at which the administration is issuing major new rules that impose new costs and regulatory requirements on states, employers and consumers fails that basic test."
The EPA in its ruling requires states, mostly in the east of the country, to control air pollution that crosses their borders by wind and weather. The smog-cutting initiative would cost the energy sector billions of dollars but EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said it was worth the health benefits.
"No community should have to bear the burden of another community's polluters, or be powerless to prevent air pollution that leads to asthma, heart attacks and other harmful illnesses," she said in a statement.
Republican lawmakers have drawn a bead on the EPA, complaining it's made up of unelected bureaucrats.
