Clean-air regulations put on hold?

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill to delay enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed cross-state air-pollution rule.

The Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act, which was passed on Sept. 23, calls for the EPA to take a closer look at the associated costs of imposing tighter regulations on such things as downwind pollution from coal-fired power plants, according to media sources. Those supporting the bill maintain factories and power plants unable to afford the necessary upgrades may be forced to close, taxing an already struggling economy. Those in opposition point to the obvious health benefits of cleaner air.

The bill, which has traveled to the Senate, “is a blatant giveaway to polluters that will cost thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars in preventable health-care needs,” said opponent Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon).

The White House strongly opposes the bill, suggesting a veto by President Obama.