ENGROSSED SENATE
CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION NO. 13	By:	Bingman, Brinkley, Shortey, Brecheen, Allen and David of the Senate

			and

		Trebilcock of the House

A Concurrent Resolution calling on the United States Congress to prohibit certain regulatory actions relating to greenhouse gases and air quality requirements by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and requesting certain study; and directing distribution.

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 are likely to have serious negative effects on the economy, jobs and U.S. competitiveness in worldwide markets; and
WHEREAS, the EPA’s regulatory actions specifically relating to air quality and greenhouse gases have become known as the “train wreck,” because of numerous and overlapping requirements and the potentially devastating consequences such regulatory actions may have on the economy; 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 regulations; and
WHEREAS, neither the EPA nor the Administration has undertaken any comprehensive study of what the cumulative effect of all of this new regulatory activity will have on the economy, jobs and American economic competitiveness; and
WHEREAS, the EPA has not performed any comprehensive study of the environmental benefits of its greenhouse regulation in terms of impacts on global climate; and
WHEREAS, state agencies are routinely required to identify the costs of their regulations and to justify those costs in light of 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, the EPA 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; and
WHEREAS, the Oklahoma Legislature supports continuing improvements in the quality of the nation’s air and believes that that such improvements can be made in a sensible fashion without damaging the economy so long as there is a full understanding of the cost of the regulations at issue; and
WHEREAS, the primary goal of government at the present 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 OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 53RD OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN:
THAT the Oklahoma Legislature calls on the United States Congress to:
1.  Adopt legislation prohibiting the EPA, by any means necessary, from regulating greenhouse gas emissions, including defunding EPA greenhouse gas regulatory activities, if necessary;
2.  Impose a moratorium on promulgation of any new air quality regulation by the EPA except to directly address an imminent health or environmental emergency, for a period of at least two years, including defunding EPA air quality regulatory activities, if necessary; and
3.  Require the Administration to undertake a study identifying all regulatory activity that the EPA intends to undertake in furtherance of its goal of “taking action on climate change and improving air quality” and specifying the cumulative effect of all of these regulations on the economy, jobs, and American economic competitiveness.  This study should be a multi-agency study drawing on the expertise of the EPA and of agencies and departments having expertise in and responsibility for the economy and the national electric generation system and the study should provide an objective cost-benefit analysis of all of the EPA’s current and planned regulatory actions.
THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the members of the Oklahoma congressional delegation, Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Governor Mary Fallin.
Adopted by the Senate the 20th day of April, 2011.

	
	Presiding Officer of the Senate

Adopted by the House of Representatives the ____ day of _______, 2011.

	
	Presiding Officer of the House
	of Representatives