Congressman Spencer Bachus today last week in favor of legislation that would prevent costly and unnecessary new regulations from being rashly imposed on a key sector of the U.S. manufacturing industry.

In remarks on the House floor, Bachus voiced his support for the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011, which requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take more time to ensure that new regulations governing emissions from cement plants are achievable and to review both the benefits and costs.

“Cement plants are important employers home in Alabama and across the country.  Rather than improving the environment, the cost of these regulations, which are many times more strict than those in Europe, could have the opposite effect by causing our plants to close and pushing cement production to Mexico where the environmental standards are much lower.  What we need from the EPA is a common sense approach recognizing that environmental protection and economic growth should be compatible,” said Congressman Bachus.

The EPA has estimated its proposed rules would cost at least $2.2 billion and private studies have warned they could potentially shut down 20% of America’s cement industry.  They have been identified as one the “Top Ten Job-Destroying Regulations” being issued by federal agencies.

Congressman Bachus has met with managers and employees at National Cement in Ragland in St. Clair County and Lehigh Hanson in Leeds in Jefferson County who said the EPA regulations would add major new costs to their operations at a time when the industry is struggling to make a profit.  Both plants have made significant investments in environmental upgrades in recent years..

Congressman Bachus will vote yes on the legislation.