Press Releases
Rep. Gosar Condemns EPA's Final Rule for Regional Haze
Washington, DC,
June 30, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after learning of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) intent to publish a final rule for Regional Haze requirements that would affect six facilities in Arizona:
Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after learning of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) intent to publish a final rule for Regional Haze requirements that would affect six facilities in Arizona: “The Regional Haze Rule has nothing to do with public health and was established for the sole purpose of attempting to restore natural visibility in national parks and wilderness areas by 2064. This rule has not proven effective with even the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) concluding that there is no evidence that installing expensive new technology, most of which is not yet economically viable, would lead to any perceptible improvement in visibility at our parks or nearby wilderness areas. “This unilateral decision will impose costly and burdensome regulations on American families and small businesses who are already struggling to make ends meet. Thousands of jobs will be lost and energy prices will skyrocket should we continue down this path. Rather than pursuing a true all-of-the-above energy plan that will lower costs for consumers and put us on the path towards energy independence, the Obama Administration continues to churn out new regulations and distort others as the means to accomplish the President’s ideologically driven agenda. “Businesses can not afford to squander millions of dollars to comply with regulations that yield no benefit. Something must be done to restrain this rogue agency that has run amok while using cherry picked-data and secret science to arrive at their desired outcomes. In the process, the EPA continues to kill Arizona jobs and harm our economy. I’ve had it! This overreach must cease.”
Regional haze refers to haze that impairs visibility. The distance that can be seen is limited because of tiny particles in the air absorbing and scattering sunlight by reducing the color, contrast, and clarity of the view. The complete text of the Regional Haze rule can be found HERE. The six facilities that are negatively impacted by the EPA’s final rule are: Tucson Electric Power Sundt Generating Station Unit 4 In 2012, the House passed Rep. Gosar’s Regional Haze Regulatory Relief Amendment that would have allowed affected states to reject overreaching federal regulations for regional haze and replace them within two years with its own plan. ### |