Hello. I'm Chuck Grassley working in the U.S. Senate for the people of Iowa. This week, the United States Senate considered a resolution to block the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. The resolution of disapproval had broad bipartisan support.
I was an original cosponsor of this resolution because I'm concerned that EPA bureaucrats are making policy decisions that should be made by elected representatives of the people. Congress should decide whether or not to impose limits on greenhouse gasses, not faceless bureaucrats. The problem is that the EPA has been moving forward without congressional approval. This is bad news for two reasons.
First, the job of a federal agency is to carry out the laws passed by Congress. Congress is directly accountable to the American people. The EPA is not. When agencies that aren't accountable to the public bend existing laws in order to pursue an agenda behind closed doors, Congress must stop them. An unelected bureaucracy shouldn't make policy decisions, especially when the decisions could have a major impact on an economy that continues to sputter.
Second, regulating greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act would be less efficient and more costly than a new system that is specifically designed to address greenhouse gasses. The Obama administration has already acknowledged this fact.
The EPA is trying to bully Congress by saying, "Either you pass a bill that will raise costs for American Families or we'll pass regulations that will be even worse."
It is up to Congress to decide whether a new carbon tax makes sense. We shouldn't let the EPA implement economically devastating regulations, particularly at a time of economic recession. Iowa's energy intensive economy, especially agriculture and manufacturing, would be hit particularly hard if the EPA goes it alone.
Congress must continue to work to make sure that the EPA does not overreach on its responsibilities, and our resolution helps to put the EPA on notice.
