Laws, Acts, and Legislation

HCR 49
As Introduced

View Full Text

(.pdf format)

(.html format)

View Publications Associated with this Resolution

Resolution Analyses

Synopsis of Committee Amendments

Conference Committee Synopsis

Fiscal Notes

Status Report of Legislation

Votes

Other Versions of Resolution and Associated Reports

The online versions of legislation provided on this website are not official. Enrolled bills are the final version passed by the Ohio General Assembly and presented to the Governor for signature. The official version of acts signed by the Governor are available from the Secretary of State's Office in the Continental Plaza, 180 East Broad St., Columbus.

H. C. R. No. 49 As Introduced

As Introduced

129th General Assembly

Regular Session

2011-2012

H. C. R. No. 49

Representative Thompson

Cosponsors: Representatives Boose, Wachtmann, Stebelton

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

To urge the Congress of the United States to adopt S.J. Resolution 37, which disapproves the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO
(THE SENATE CONCURRING):

       WHEREAS, On February 16, 2012, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) promulgated its Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Final Rule for coal and oil fueled electric generating plants. USEPA's own analysis shows that it is the single most expensive rule imposed by USEPA on the electric power generation industrial sector at a cost of $9.6 billion per year by 2016 and a total cost of $90 billion; and

       WHEREAS, Billions of dollars in compliance and other costs resulting from the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule will be transferred to residential, commercial, and industrial electricity consumers. Those costs will result, in part, from the need to construct new power plants to replace existing power plants forced to discontinue operations prematurely due to the imposition of the rule; and

       WHEREAS, The unprecedented costs associated with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule will increase the price of electricity and other forms of energy at a time when families and businesses are struggling to cope with already high energy costs and job losses. Data from the federal government show that the average family in Ohio has doubled its spending on energy over the past decade and that lower-income, fixed-income, and minority families are disproportionately harmed by higher energy prices; and

       WHEREAS, The manufacturing sector has lost 5.5 million jobs since 2000, or 32% of its work force. Further, the manufacturing sector's global competitiveness depends on affordable and reliable energy. USEPA has not provided an estimate of job losses that will result from the imposition of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule. However, many analyses project that the rule will cause a further erosion of manufacturing jobs in the United States; and

       WHEREAS, Owners of coal-fueled power plants have already invested nearly $100 billion to meet clean air requirements, and those investments have reduced emissions of major air pollutants by nearly 90% per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated. Therefore, any new regulatory requirements to improve air quality should be implemented within a sensible time frame and at a reasonable cost; and

       WHEREAS, Federal, state, and regional officials, public utility commissioners, regional electric reliability organizations, electricity generators, and manufacturing companies have expressed concerns that the USEPA's regulations threaten the reliability of the nation's electric power grid; and

       WHEREAS, At the present time, the highest priority of federal, state, and local governments should be to support policies that stimulate growth and create jobs and to avoid policies that unnecessarily increase energy prices, hurt families, and cause job losses; now therefore be it

       RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 129th General Assembly, in adopting this resolution, strongly urge the Congress of the United States to adopt S.J. Resolution 37, which disapproves the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule and ensures that USEPA replaces it with sensible regulations that achieve reductions in mercury emissions without unnecessary increases in energy prices, job losses, and threats to the reliability of the nation's electric power grid; and be it further

       RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the Administrator of the USEPA, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, and the news media of Ohio.