Friday, November 28, 2014

Paul Cook's HR 4795 Vote is another Koch Brothers Payback....and Will Cause Layoffs

Paul Cook votes "yeah" on H.R. 4795 (the Promoting New Manufacturing Act) saying it will put Americans back to work...ah....The facts?? 
.The Committee on Energy and Commerce, November Democratic Staff report on H.R. 4795 says:
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"H.R. 4795 does nothing to promote new manufacturing or to improve the permitting process for new and expanding manufacturing facilities. Instead, the bill weakens air quality protections, allows more pollution, and threatens public health.
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The current Clean Air Act requires major new or expanding sources of air pollution to obtain permits with pollution limits before the facilities start construction. State and local air agencies issue the majority of these permits. Under current law, a permit applicant must identify the pollution controls it will install at the new or expanded facility and demonstrate that the facility’s emissions will not violate national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Under current law, when the EPA updates a NAAQS to reflect the latest science and protect public health, the permit applicant has to show that its emissions will not cause a violation of the updated, more protective standard".
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"H.R. 4795 creates a loophole in this process. The bill gives new and expanded facilities “amnesty” from new science-based air quality standards"--so Bob Conaway asks, is this how the Koch Brothers will be able to profit from newer refineries and pipelines like the Keystone?--by being able to pollute more, spend less on pollution controls and create a competitive disadvantage for existing extraction, transportation and refinery systems?
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The House Staff report continues:
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"H.R. 4795 could allow some facilities to emit extra pollution at levels that could harm public health. H.R. 4795 shifts the cost of air pollution control to existing manufacturing facilities
In an area with unhealthy air, pollution is a zero-sum game. An increase in pollution in one place has to be offset by reductions elsewhere. So if new facilities are allowed to emit more, existing facilities will have to emit less to make up for that extra pollution. That
is unfair and makes it more expensive to achieve healthy air.
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Allowing new facilities to pollute more means that existing industrial facilities will have to do more to reduce their emissions at a higher cost" which Bob Conaway says " will increase overhead to existing energy producers following the law--how is that fair and how will that create jobs? If anything it may force layoffs for existing firms to stay competitive --right Mr. Cook?"
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When will Paul Cook and his fellow Koch Congress cadets stop paying back the Koch Brothers? How far down the rabbit hole do we get thrown?


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