WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new regulations today to limit emissions of methane from the oil and natural gas sector by 40 to 45 percent by 2025, compared to 2012 levels:
Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new regulations today to limit emissions of methane from the oil and natural gas sector by 40 to 45 percent by 2025, compared to 2012 levels:
“The EPA, at the behest of President Obama, continues to impose costly new regulations that defy commonsense and threaten thousands of good-paying jobs across the country. Despite former high-profile members of President Obama’s cabinet clearly stating that hydraulic fracturing is a safe technology for extracting oil and natural gas, the EPA continues to blindly follow the ideological marching orders put forth by the president. Shockingly, even the EPA’s own data shows this new regulation is unnecessary as methane emissions from hydraulic fracturing have decreased significantly in recent years despite continued increases in production.
“President Obama’s self-obsessed efforts to leave a legacy of environmental extremism will be paid for by eliminating thousands of good-paying jobs across the country. This reckless and partisan administration should first focus on cleaning up its own mess from the August 5th Gold King Mine spill, as opposed to pushing nonsensical new regulations that will cause significant harm to our economy.”
Background:
Today’s proposed regulation is one of many in a long line of misguided proposals made by the Obama Administration to combat climate change. The non-partisan Congressional Research Service estimates this Administration spent $77 billion from FY 2008 through FY 2013 studying and trying to develop global climate change policies.
On March 23, 2015, President Obama released new regulations for Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on federal and Indian lands which disproportionately hurts rural western states like Arizona. This duplicative, job-killing regulation is unnecessary as states throughout the nation already have regulations in place to ensure hydraulic fracturing is done in an environmentally responsible way. Read more HERE.
On August 3, 2015, the EPA announced final “Clean Power Plan” rule seeking to dramatically reduce carbon emissions from power plants. American families are projected to lose almost $600 billion in disposable income as a result of EPA’s new proposed regulation. An economic analysis also found that this overreaching Washington mandate will kill 226,000 jobs annually and cost our economy $50 billion each year. All of this economic harm and destruction for our economies will only result in a 1.8% reduction of global carbon-dioxide emissions by the year 2030. Congressman Gosar has cosponsored legislation and twice voted for bills that passed the House to block this overreach. Congressman Gosar also requested a funding rider that was inserted into a House appropriations bill and offered an amendment to formally withdraw this new mandate. Read more HERE.
