WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following op-ed by Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gabe Evans (CO-08) appeared in the Washington Examiner this week.
“Recently, members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce traveled to Colorado. What’s happening in Denver and across the Front Range reflects the challenges we are facing nationwide: our communities are struggling to build infrastructure.
“From mining to advanced manufacturing, businesses that want to build in the U.S. need access to safe, affordable, and reliable energy. Right now, burdensome regulations are standing in the way.
“For years, red tape has pushed jobs and investments overseas. Under the Biden-Harris administration, increased regulations cost people nearly $1.8 trillion, more than 70% of which stems from Environmental Protection Agency rules that fail to provide meaningful environmental benefits. Here in Colorado, we heard the same concerns from business leaders that have been shared in congressional hearings over the past year: Overregulation is killing American jobs. While communist China builds at record speed, U.S. companies are left waiting years for permits for critical projects before they can even break ground.
“Permitting reform has been a top priority this Congress, and our recent visit clarified why it matters. During our time in Colorado District 8, we toured the state’s only oil refineries that produce gas, diesel, jet fuel, and other vital energy resources that keep our nation running.
“We also visited the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, a 15,000-acre site transformed from one of the most polluted places in the U.S. into a home to bison, bald eagles, and nearly 1 million visitors each year. The coexistence of these two sites shows that we can protect our precious environment while supporting American refining and manufacturing.
“Over the past 45 years, key air pollutants have dropped by more than 70%, driven by technologies developed and deployed by American companies. While the Clean Air Act has supported this progress, it has not been meaningfully updated in more than 30 years.
“To see this impact, you don’t have to look any further than Colorado’s Front Range, where, for years, communities have struggled to meet federal air quality targets. In addition to pollution carried across the Pacific Ocean from communist China, wildfire smoke from Canada and western states accounts for a significant share of the problem. As a result, Colorado businesses are penalized for pollution they did not create, and manufacturers face onerous permitting requirements that raise costs and drive investment elsewhere.
“The Committee on Energy and Commerce has been working hard to address these challenges. We’ve held hearings, met with stakeholders, and advanced legislation to modernize the Clean Air Act to protect our environment while bringing back jobs that support hard-working families here in Colorado.
“As part of this effort, Congressman Evans introduced the bipartisan Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act to ensure states are not punished for wildfire mitigation activities or air pollution out of their control, such as wildfire smoke and controlled burns. By providing greater certainty in air quality planning, we can encourage domestic manufacturing, create jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign nations.
“From oil and gas, coal, and hardrock minerals, which help power and build our economy, to the mountains, rivers, and plains, which support both jobs and recreation, Colorado is a prime example that you can have both a strong economy and a clean environment. Americans continue to lead the way in the development of new innovations and technologies, but risk falling behind in our ability to manufacture them.
“Our reforms to the CAA are commonsense measures that will allow us to build on the environmental progress we’ve made already, while removing the barriers that push jobs overseas. We cannot afford to delay meaningful permitting reform that will support innovation, lower energy costs, and create good-paying jobs across the country.”
