Bill Text: GA SR848 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Congress; urge to prohibit Environmental Protection Agency from further regulating greenhouse gas emissions; without comprehensive economic and environmental study
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2012-03-07 - Senate Passed/Adopted [SR848 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2011-SR848-Enrolled.html
12 LC 40 0137S
(SCS)
Senate
Resolution 848
By:
Senators Tolleson of the 20th, Shafer of the 48th, Bulloch of the 11th and Grant
of the 25th
ADOPTED
SENATE
A
RESOLUTION
Urging
Congress to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from further
regulating greenhouse gas emissions without a comprehensive economic and
environmental study; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
the Senate supports reasonable and responsible air quality regulations that take
all factors, both economic and environmental, into account for the benefit of
the citizens of Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed or is
proposing numerous new regulations, particularly in the area of air quality and
regulation of greenhouse gases, that will have major effects on consumers, the
economy, jobs, and U.S. competitiveness in worldwide markets, especially in
Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
concern is growing that, with cap-and-trade legislation having failed in
Congress, the EPA is attempting to obtain the same results through the adoption
of numerous concurrent regulations; and
WHEREAS,
the EPA's proposed over-reaching regulations will drive jobs and industry out of
Georgia and much of the United States in general; and
WHEREAS,
the EPA has not undertaken any comprehensive study of the cumulative effect of
the proposed new regulatory activity on consumers, the economy, jobs,
competitiveness, and system reliability; and
WHEREAS,
the EPA has not performed any comprehensive study of what the environmental
benefits of its recently enacted and proposed emissions (new versus existing)
and greenhouse regulations will be in terms of impact on regional air and water
quality or global climate change; and
WHEREAS,
state agencies in Georgia are routinely required to identify the costs of their
regulations and to justify those costs relative to the benefits;
and
WHEREAS,
since the EPA has identified "taking action on climate change and improving air
quality" as its first strategic goal for the 2011-15 time period, it should be
required to identify the specific actions it intends to take to achieve these
goals and to assess the total cost of all these actions together;
and
WHEREAS,
the South is rich in natural resources, and has historically provided more than
half of our nation's energy supply; and
WHEREAS,
more than 85 percent of our nation's energy supply comes from coal, natural gas,
and crude oil, and the greatest regional supplier of these three fuels is the
South; and
WHEREAS,
based on a 2008 Bureau of Labor Statistics study, seven of the top ten states
ranked by manufacturing jobs per capita are in the South; and
WHEREAS,
the Georgia Senate supports continuing improvements in the quality of the
nation's air but believes that such improvements can be made in a sensible
fashion without damaging consumers and the economy so long as there is a full
understanding of the cost benefit of the regulations at issue; and
WHEREAS,
the primary goal of government at this time must be to promote economic recovery
and to foster a stable and predictable business environment that will lead to
the creation of jobs.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body urge
Congress to adopt legislation prohibiting the EPA by any means necessary from
regulating greenhouse gas emissions or enacting any new air quality regulations
without first undertaking a comprehensive study of the environmental and
economic impact of the regulations, and requiring the Obama Administration to
undertake a further study to identify all regulatory activity that the EPA
intends to undertake in the furtherance of its goals.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to each member of the Georgia
congressional delegation.