UAW lobbying Congress to allow EPA climate laws

[Blue_Tires]

UAW lobbying Congress to allow EPA climate laws
03/16/2010, 1:11 PMBy Mark Kleis
The United Auto Worker’s union has sent a letter to Congress in an effort to stop the overturning of the danger of greenhouse gas emissions issued by the EPA late last year. The UAW urged Congress to move forward with “comprehensive climate change legislation that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”


Historically, the EPA is usually at odds with the automotive industry as its rulings add costs to the automakers’ bottom line. But in an interesting turn of events, the UAW, which is a majority shareholder of General Motors, has written a letter to Congress in an effort to uphold a ruling that would make tailpipe emissions a risk to public health.

EPA findings and how they affect the auto industry

The EPA’s endangerment finding that was first revealed in late 2009, for the first time labeled carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydroflourocarbons, perflourocarbons and sulfur hexaflouride as dangers to public health. The endangerment ruling was legally required before the EPA could regulate the greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, power plants and factories.

As a result of the EPA’s endangerment finding, the agency was then able to directly regulate future emissions by automobiles on a more direct level than ever before.

Chamber of Commerce warns against job loss

The Chamber of Commerce has also become involved in the process as it announced that the EPA’s endangerment finding will cost the nation jobs. Chief counsel for the CoC, Steven Law, said that it would be a mistake for the EPA to issue their ruling.

“The Chamber has long warned that regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act would be bad for jobs and local economies,” Law said. “Last October, four months after the deadline for the public to submit comments on the endangerment finding, the Agency formally acknowledged the ‘absurdity’ of regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.”

Law went on to explain that he believes bipartisan legislation and international agreements – discussed, voted on and agreed upon by legislators would be a better approach. Law warned that the EPA’s decision and eventual lead to the Clean Air Act regulation is not the best path for the country.

The UAW makes its case

The UAW – and the auto industry as a whole – has found itself in a unique position in which it has to either support more stringent national standards by the EPA and the federal Clean Air Act, or fight to block that deal and continue to allow individual states to create their own mandates. One one hand, the EPA will certainly increase regulations and potentially impose fines for automakers’ pollution, should Cap and Trade eventually become a reality. On the other hand, should automakers block the EPA ruling and continue with the current state-level regulation they face creating different vehicles to comply with several states’ unique laws.

“The UAW also is deeply concerned that overturning EPA’s endangerment finding would unravel the historic agreement on one national standard for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for light duty vehicles that was negotiated by the Obama administration last year,” the UAW urged Congress in their letter of appeal.

The UAW states several times in their letter to Congress that they support “comprehensive climate change legislation that properly balances concerns of various regions and sectors, and establishes a new coherent national program to combat climate change,” but they also believe the EPA needs to retain control of the regulation.

The UAW also goes on to say that they believe the regulation could help to create jobs by forcing the U.S. to become a leader in “advanced technology vehicles and their key components, as well as other energy saving technologies.”

The UAW also warns that failing to uphold the EPA could undermine the “historic agreement” and without it the “EPA will not be able to proceed with its current rulemaking on light duty vehicles.”

The EPA is currently scheduled to begin regulating greenhouse gases in 2011, and NHTSA is scheduled to impose stricter fuel economy standards by 2012.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/uaw-lobbying-congress-to-allow-epa-climate-laws.html

[HillbillyBob]

1. The Chamber of whores is not our friend

they are a wholly owned and operated entity of the corpses.

They always yammer about jobs lost while lobbying for lower taxes on corps while they outsource jobs anyway. I think sometihg radical needs to happen to the chamber and their henchmen. Jail time for treason seems like a good place to start.