FCNL letter to House opposing the Inhofe/Upton Bill

Mar 16, 2011

February 14, 2011

Dear Representative:

The Friends Committee on National Legislation is a Quaker lobbying organization, founded in 1943 to lobby for peace. It is the oldest faith lobbying organization in the United States. We lobby for legislation that moves the United States toward a lower carbon future, because we believe that reducing our use of fossil fuels will bring greater social justice and peace.

FCNL urges you not to co-sponsor or vote for the Inhofe-Upton Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, which would permanently prevent Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases, and to oppose language in the Continuing Resolution [HR 1 §1746], which denies EPA finding for regulating these pollutants.

The Inhofe/Upton Bill eliminates current fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, even though the bill purports to leave them in force. [§330(b)(2)] Under §202(a)(1) of Clean Air Act, mobile source rules must be based on a finding that emissions from cars and trucks pose a danger to human health and the environment. Because the Inhofe-Upton bill explicitly reverses EPA’s endangerment finding [§330(b)(4)(A)], the current regulations would be missing that essential legal foundation. If the current regulations were challenged in court, a judge could and probably would declare them void.

EPA’s greenhouse gas program requires fuel efficiency in our cars, trucks, power plants and industries. Efficiency saves businesses money, improves our national security and slows global warming. There is no evidence that it is “job-crushing.” Indeed, a growing number of businesses support the EPA. Forty years of experience with the Clean Air Act have taught us that industry wildly overstates the costs of new regulations and the benefits of regulations always out weight the costs.

Sincerely,

Marcia J. Cleveland Legislative Representative