WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing titled Short-Circuiting Progress: How the Clean Air Act Impacts Building Necessary Infrastructure and Onshoring American Innovation.

“Today’s hearing made it clear that bureaucratic red tape has limited our ability to expand American manufacturing,” said Chairman Griffith. “As we heard from our witnesses, Congress needs to take commonsense actions to ensure the Clean Air Act works as intended while not hampering our country’s retention of steady, well-paying jobs, or limiting our ability to lead in manufacturing innovation.”

Watch the full hearing here.

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01): “Balancing America's air quality with economic development begins with implementing common sense legislation. I think we would all agree on that. The EPA reviews the national ambient air quality standards, and on, on a five-year interval after establishing a national ambient air quality standard states assumed the primary responsibility for implementing it and enforcing these rules. This is an extremely time-consuming process, one that takes years and years. I've got a bill. It's called the CLEAR Act. Now we give states the time needed to implement standards without rushing the process, and I think that's very important. This bill also allows states the opportunity to correct deficiencies found by EPA and state implementation plans for NAAQS before EPA can issue a federal implementation plan. The CLEAR Act offers common sense solutions to make containing clean air standards realistic while giving states the time necessary to comply.

Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13): “Important context for this hearing is understanding that America's air quality is among the best in the world, and that the U.S. emissions have steadily decreased over the past several decades, even as economic input and output has changed. We observed this trend because of the fact that reasonable clean air standards lead to economic growth and that this economic growth spurs innovation and investment in technology that ultimately reduces emissions without sacrificing output. We need to balance public health and clean air goals with the reality that unattainable standards will not only hurt the American economy, but also disincentivize development of the more efficient technologies necessary to continue to lower U.S. emissions.”

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01): “The United States has proven that environmental progress and economic growth aren't mutually exclusive. We've dramatically improved air quality while expanding energy output in Iowa, our farmers and manufacturers rely on stable smart policy to keep innovating and growing and also to compete economically around the globe. As we look to the future. any new regulations must support, not stifle, the backbone industries of our heartland.”