Washington, DC – Congressman John Fleming, M.D., today announced support for a resolution to put a stop to the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to establish a backdoor national energy tax. The resolution of disapproval would prevent the implementation of job-killing regulations posed by the Obama administration. These regulations are premised on the EPA’s recent endangerment finding and would make carbon dioxide – something that is necessary to sustain life on earth – a regulated pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

“This reckless regulation lays the ground work for a type of bureaucratically enacted national energy tax which could destroy millions of American jobs and result in trillions of dollars in lost economic activity,” said Fleming. “Let there be no doubt about it, regulations based on emissions will disproportionately negatively affect rural areas like my district in Northwest Louisiana and have an equally devastating effect on farmers and small businesses across the country.”

“During the State of the Union, we heard President Obama proclaim that job creation should be this country’s main focus. Yet, with more than 15 million Americans unemployed, we see this Administration advancing climate change policies that will drive up costs and ship American jobs overseas. I urge the President to stay true to his word and work with Republicans to advance common-sense ideas that will reign-in government spending, cut our deficits and restore the thing this country wants most: jobs, jobs, jobs!”

Under the endangerment finding – and the regulatory and legal red tape that flow from this expansion of government into our economic lives – the pace of U.S. economic growth will be stifled by the EPA and its controversial enforcement of environmental laws. In time, the new permitting and pollution control rules for these entities would potentially affect millions of very small sources of “greenhouse gas” (GHG) emissions – office buildings, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, churches, farms and other small businesses.

John Fleming is a physician and small business owner and represents the 4th Congressional District of Louisiana. He is a member of the House Armed Services and Natural Resources Committees.

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